


Eleutheromania

by WaltzingTheFaePaths



Series: An Intense and Irresistible Desire for Freedom [1]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Multi, Other, Pirates, Revolutionaries
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-23
Updated: 2019-03-29
Packaged: 2019-11-28 09:05:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 22
Words: 34,999
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18206393
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WaltzingTheFaePaths/pseuds/WaltzingTheFaePaths
Summary: Sabo dreams of freedom, and writing a book of his adventures.Trafalgar Lami wishes only to save her brother and become his medical assistant.Koala wants to prove that she's not like other humans, and find acceptance for Fishmen.They are the Blue Scribe Pirates. And they are going to rock the World.





	1. The Adventure Begins

**Author's Note:**

> The publication of this is all Shibo26’s fault – she demanded my headcanons, and suddenly I had five chapters written XD  
> Please check out her story on fanfiction.net, A Brothers Greatest Treasure!

Sabo’s seventeenth birthday went much the same way as Ace’s had, two months earlier.  Luffy, the Bandits sans Dadan, Makino-san, and Woodslap, the mayor of Foosha Village, were all gathered on the cliff that faced the concealed bay where the small sail boat he’d fashioned for himself bobbed.  After his last (failed) attempt at setting sail, Sabo had put considerable more planning into this; the scars on his body were a constant reminder, as a pirate, to be cautious.  This time for sure, there was no Tenryuubito to stop his journey.

 

“Don’t forget to train, Sabo!”  Luffy cheered.  “I’ll overtake you!”

 

Sabo couldn’t help but laugh at _that_.  “Don’t forget your centre!”  He yelled back instead.  “Ah!  And please pass on a message to Dadan for me!  Tell her she really is a manly woman amongst men!  Alright, I’m heading out now!”  He thrust his pipe into the air and waved it once, released his boat from its position, and turned away from his home island.  He heard Makino-san call out about manners and hygiene, the bandits sobbing about how they couldn’t wait to see his bounty, and then there was Luffy, his precious little brother.

 

“DON’T FORGET OUR PROMISE!!”

 

* * *

 

 

That first day, he sailed only as far as the next island, one he vaguely remembered from his “accident” almost seven years prior.  Pulling up to the peer and tying off his mooring line, Sabo picked up his pipe and bag, and after asking for directions, headed for the Dojo.

 

It was as he remembered, a single story, organised sprawl, with whitewashed walls and sloping tiled rooves.

 

“Hello!”  Sabo called from the mudroom.  The sound of training students paused for a moment, and perhaps a half minute later an aging man with greying black hair came forward, his round glasses familiar.

 

“Do you remember me?”  Sabo asked the trainer cheerfully.  “I was here seven years ago on a ship shaped like a dragon, and –“

 

“I helped tend your burns!”  The sensei exclaimed.  “Yes, I remember you!  You were raving about getting back to your brothers in Goa, so Dragon-san left you in my care!”

 

Sabo laughed.  “I was wondering if I could have your hospitality again, Koshio-san!”

 

“Of course!”  The older man laughed as well, though his was far softer than Sabo’s, barely a chuckle.

 

At dinner that night, it was just Koshio and a powerful-looking young man with green hair, who Sabo thought he might recognise. 

 

“What brings you to this island again, Sabo-kun?”  Koshio asked.

 

“I’m writing a book about all of my adventures!”  Sabo replied eagerly.  “I’m going to travel the oceans, and see heaps of different people and places!”  His smile was infectious.  They ate in silence again for a little while, before Sabo finally placed the green-haired man.

 

“When I was here last, I saw some of your training,” Sabo mused.  “Lifting rocks, right?”

 

The green-haired teen grunted in acknowledgement, but continued eating, which made Sabo laugh again.  “Yeah, two swords!  And the only person I ever saw come close to beating that girl was you, right?  Has she gone home, too?”

 

Both he and Koshio froze then.  “I suppose you could say that.” Koshio answered softly.  “Zoro and I don’t really like to talk about it.”

 

“Her name was Kuina.”  Zoro growled under his breath, putting his bowl down sharply.  “If you wanted to pay your respects, she’s out in the graveyard, with the rest of her family!”  He stormed from the room, slamming the door behind him.

 

Sabo was frozen in his seat for a spell, before turning back to Koshio.  “I’m really sorry.  I didn’t know.”

 

“It’s fine, Sabo-kun.  Even if our islands are close, information rarely passes between them.”

 

Sabo shook his head slowly.  “I’ve been living in the forest, anyway.  Unless you knew my brothers, there was no way to get a message to me.  But still, I’m really sorry for bringing it up, especially after you’ve shown me such good hospitality.”

 

Even though Koshio still politely refuted Sabo’s stuff up, Sabo knew he’d already outstayed his welcome, especially with Zoro.  The next morning he stayed only long enough to purchase another map of the surrounding East Blue Islands and some more food from the market, and thank Koshio and Zoro.  He was gone as quickly as he’d arrived.


	2. Lami

That following afternoon, Sabo was snoozing in the sun, his jacket and hat draped over himself for protection.  It was a leisurely trip between the islands, and Sabo was in no real hurry.  This was East Blue – nothing ever happened.

 

Of course, saying as such is a sure fire way to a jinx.

 

There was a strange whistling sound that reminded Sabo of something falling  … Sabo cracked an eye open and tilted his hat just in time to see a paw-shaped _something_ crash into the sea right by the bow of his boat!

 

With a sharp exclamation, he lurched to see what the _thing_ was, only to see a paw-shaped indent in the ocean that quickly filled, taking a girl under with it.  His hat and coat having fallen when he first moved, Sabo kicked his shoes off quickly and dived over, grabbing a hold of the girl and swimming back to his boat, dragging the both of them back over the edge of his small craft.

 

“You’re as bad as my little brother!”  Sabo scolded her, even as he checked her breathing, finding she was only passed out.  “Honestly, falling into the middle of the ocean like that!  What if I hadn’t been here, huh?!  You could have drowned!”  He took this opportunity to study her.  She had light brown should-length hair worn in pigtails under a white cap with a brown bill and spots that shadowed her face.  Her thigh-length, shoulder-less dress was yellow and brown, with black tights and brown boots underneath, a strange heart-like tattoo visible on her left shoulder.  Dark blue fingerless gloves rose to above her elbows, though one of them had fallen halfway down her arm to reveal white discolourations – Sabo pulled the glove up, just in case she hadn’t wanted him to see it.

 

Sabo wasn’t a doctor by anyone’s standards, but he had cared for his brothers and the bandits in the past.  As far as he could see, the girl – young woman, she looked a bit older than him – was fine, but just in case, he checked the map he’d stolen from his father’s study and the one he’d bought that morning and set sail for the nearest inhabited island.

 

* * *

 

 

“Oh, you’re awake!”  Sabo said cheerfully.  “We’ve almost reached the next island, do you need a doctor?”

 

She stared at him with big golden brown eyes, before she scowled.  “I _am_ a doctor, and I’m fine.”

 

“Oh, that’s good then!”  He exclaimed.  “Name’s Sabo, by the way.  What’s yours?”

 

She continued to scowl.  “It’s Lami.  Where are we?”  Grudgingly, she took the water flask Sabo offered her, sniffing it suspiciously before drinking.

 

“We’re almost at Gecko Island in East Blue.  Gah!” Sabo jerked back as she spat her mouthful of water in his face.  “What was that for?!  You _are_ worse than my brothers!”

 

“I was in North Blue!”  Lami exclaimed.  “I was heading east, yeah, but – but this is ridiculous!”

 

“How’d you get here?”  Sabo asked curiously, wiping his face with his jacket.

 

Lami’s eyes widened with understanding, then narrowed with suspicion.  “It doesn’t concern you,”

 

Sabo huffed.  “Well, what were you at sea for, then?”

 

“I’m trying to find my big brother,” She finally relented.  “Pirates stole him eight years ago.”

 

She was fingering a streak of blue in her hair that Sabo hadn’t noticed before.

 

“I might be able to help, there.”  Sabo finally said quietly.  “Pirates are always fighting other pirates.  And my brothers are my treasure, too.  So why don’t you join my crew, and I’ll help you find him.”

 

Lami stared at him, shocked, before scoffing, turning her face away.  “You, a pirate?  Don’t make me laugh!  You’re too kind-hearted for that!  Pirates plunder and pillage, they steal and they hurt and they fight.  What are you, sixteen, seventeen?  You don’t look like much to me!”

 

Sabo was mildly offended, but he supposed, compared to Ace, he must look like some pansy arsed flower – which was better than puppy-faced Luffy. 

 

“I grew up in the jungle of Mt Corvo, on Dawn island.”  He said instead, calmly.  “My brothers and I hunted every creature we could, and we fought a hundred matches against each other every day.  We fought anyone and everything we could in Low Town and the Grey Terminal.  We lived with bandits, and we weren’t above stealing.  _But_ ,” he stressed, looking at Lami from under the brims of both their hats.  “We grew strong – really strong!  It’s only been two months since he set sail, but three days before I set off on my journey, my brother, Ace, received his first bounty, and we’re pretty evenly matched.  So!  I’m going to help you find your brother, ok?  Even if we have to go all the way to North Blue!”

 

Lami continued to watch him coldly, before turning away again.  “He isn’t in North Blue.  I’ve looked everywhere.  The Don Quixote family took him back to the Grand Line.”  She gave him a sharp look.  “A _Shichibukai_ , Sabo.  Reckon you can take him on?”

 

Sabo thought about it for a while, fingering the tip of the scar on his cheekbone – a habit he’d taken up in recent years.  “Maybe not right now.  But it’s a long way from here to there, so I’ll have plenty of chances to grow stronger!”  Sabo gave her a childish grin full of impish promise.  “I’ll help you, Lami.  Especially if you join my crew!”

 

* * *

 

 

Lami still didn’t know why she’d agreed to join the cheerful blonde.  In her professional opinion as a Doctor, the idiot was going to die minutes into the Grand Line – look at him!  Even if his burn scar was kind of impressive, he was still a teenager from some remote East Blue Island, and his weapon of choice, apparently, was a _steel pipe_.  No doubt she’d have to pull most of the weight in a fight, _and_ patch the bastard up again afterwards!  But just for the moment, he had food, water, maps, and a boat.  If all else failed, she could just push him over the side close to shore and make her way to the Grand Line on her own – or she could just use him as a distraction, whichever came first.

 

Law-nii.  Law-nii came first.

 

Cora-san had told her years ago that Doflamingo would try and get her brother to perform a surgery with his Fruit that would give the bastard eternal life, in exchange for her brother’s.  Lami _couldn’t_ allow that!  She had nothing and no one else, the Don Quixote family had seen to that when they (and the neighbouring countries) burnt Flevance to the ground.  She had not travelled so far and trained so hard for nothing!  She _would_ get her brother back! 

 

_No matter what!_

 

 


	3. Get to know Me

Lami had barely slept that night, so busy was she watching Sabo to make sure he didn’t try anything.  Of course, her Kenbunshoku Haki would have woken her anyway, if he meant any harm, but it didn’t hurt to be prepared.  Her abilities weren’t infallible, after all.

 

The whole thing was laughable, though!  She’d gone from trying to get information from Bartholomew Kuma, a Shichibukai, about Doflamingo’s whereabouts, to sitting in a boat with a blonde idiot in a top hat and cravat – who did he think he was, anyway?!  Mumbling in his sleep like that too, _Ace_ this, _Luffy_ that!  If it didn’t remind her of herself muttering for Law-nii as a kid, she’d have woken him up and scolded him already!  He was pissing her off, and she’d only been with him for a dozen hours or so!

 

Sabo mumbled in his sleep, rolling slightly, and scratching his stomach, pulling his shirt from his belt and revealing more burn scars to Lami’s trained eye.  She paused in her glowering, then.  That scarring seemed about the same age as the one over his eye, only more severe.  What had happened to him?

 

She scolded herself.  He probably was stupid enough to fall into a campfire or something!

 

… Still…  She leaned in closer for a better view.  Campfires didn’t normally leave such severe scarring …

 

He farted.

 

“You dumbarse!”  Lami roared then, shoving him over the side of the boat.

 

“Lami!”  Sabo moaned from the waves once he finished spluttering.  “What was that for?!  I was sleeping!”

 

“You farted, and it stunk.”  She told him coolly, turning her face away.  “When will we next dock?”

 

Pulling himself back into the boat, Sabo scowled at her as he began removing his cloths to hang from the mast to dry.  “I only restocked on supplies a couple of hours before you appeared.  We shouldn’t need to land for a while.”

 

 _Brilliant_ , Lami thought sarcastically.  _I’ll be stuck with this dummy for… a … whi –_

 

“What the _hell_ happened to you?”  Her voice was quiet and frosty.

 

“You just threw me into the ocean!”  Sabo snapped back.

 

“That scaring, you _idiot_!”  She spat back.

 

Sabo froze then, and a muscle twitched in his cheek.

 

“You didn’t get that from a camp fire.”

 

He gave a dry bark of laughter.  “No, I didn’t.  The first time I tried to set out to sea, I steered in front of a Tenryuubito’s ship, and he shot it, so it exploded.”

 

“These are at least five years old.”  Lami’s voice was still quiet.  “How old were you?”

 

“Almost eleven,” Sabo answered quietly.  Seeing the serious look on her face, he smiled reassuringly – a failed attempt, with such a bitter twist to it.  “You see why I wanted to leave, even if I left my precious brothers behind.  That Kingdom was cruel and heartless, and I didn’t want to grow up there.  I didn’t want to end up like m – like the Nobles, believing that human life could be tossed aside.  I just wanted to be free.”

 

Lami stared at him.  He was serious.

 

She turned away again quickly before he could see her face.  “Piracy doesn’t seem like the right lifestyle for you, then.  Have you thought about the Revolution?”

 

Sabo’s lips twitched with a private joke.  “Once or twice.  But that’s why I’m going to be the Pirate King!”  He grinned that childish grin again.  “He’s the man with the most freedom in the world!”

 

Lami turned back to face him then, gold eyes wide.  “You _what_?!  Pirate King?!  Do you even know what that entails?!”  She shook her head then, scowling.  “Of course not, you’re an idiot.  The Pirate King had it all: wealth, fame, power, control of the sea!  People have been searching for his treasure for nineteen years, and no one’s found anything, so what makes you think you’re different?!”

 

“Oh, I don’t, not really.”  Sabo replied easily.  Lami slipped sideways, eyes wide. 

 

 _Yep_ , she thought.  _Definitely an idiot_.

 

“I just want to be free to travel and write, and meet up again with my brothers.” Sabo shrugged.

 

Lami struggled for a moment, before finally deciding.

 

“You’re hopeless,” She sniffed, turning away from him.  “In my professional opinion as a doctor, you are an idiot.  I’m sorry, but there’s no cure for you.  Your dream is just too big, and foolish besides.”

 

“What’s your dream?”  Sabo asked instead, smiling slightly.

 

“I told you,” She growled back.  “I – ”

 

“After you rescue your brother, what will you do then?”  Sabo asked instead, interrupting her.

 

Lami paused, blinking twice.  “I…  I’ll be his nurse,” She finally managed.  “We’ll run a clinic together, like we used to say we would as kids.”

 

“Is that really your dream?”  Sabo asked again, even quieter.  “Think on it for a bit.”  He checked his two maps, the sun, the wind, and moved to the tiller.  “We’ll be at the next island late this morning.  The village there is called Syrup – I wonder if they specialise in desserts!!”

 

 


	4. Ussop

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A lot of this was taken from episode 9 of the anime, as I felt that this was something that must have happened before based on the reactions of Ussop and his crew.

“It’s horrible, horrible!  Pirates!  Captain, pirates!”

 

“Aww, that’s really good!  I almost believed you there!”

 

“No, really truly!  They’re real!  There’s one boat being sailed by two people, though I don’t recognise the flag.”

 

“What was it, Tamanegi?  Tell us!  Captain, who do you think it is?”

 

“Oh, ah, I suddenly have a case of the cold, I’ll just –”

 

“Don’t lie!  Yeah, Tamanegi, what did it look like?”

 

“It’s a black flag with an open blue book with a skull in the pages, a crossed quill and pipe for the bones, and a big blue ‘S’ behind it all!  And the people are just teenagers, a boy in a tophat and a girl with a duckbill.”

 

“Yosha!  Usopp Pirates, let’s move out!  Let’s protect the peace of this village!”

 

* * *

 

 

It was around eleven in the morning that they docked on Gecko Island, and both crewmembers were still cranky with each other.  However, Lami didn’t allow it to get in the way of her senses.

 

She was already aware of the four young boys before they began to make the bushes rustle, shoving pirate flags on sticks into the air.  There was a sudden flurry of shots fired at their feet; Sabo deflected the ones aimed at himself with his pipe, and Lami’s Haki told her where her feet would be safest.  Her eyes narrowed under the brim of her hat when she recognised the ammunition as Pachinko balls.

 

“I am the leader of the great pirate crew that conquered this village, Usopp!”  A spindly boy of about fourteen with curly black hair and a rather long nose declared from the top of the bluff.

 

“Oh, nice to meet you!  I’m Sabo!”  The idiot captain called in return, throwing the younger boy off his beat.

 

“Oh, nice to meet you, I – oi, wait!”  Usopp yelled back.  He cleared his throat and continued, though Lami could see fear-sweat on his brow and the shaking of his knees even from her distance.  “Ahem, everyone praises me and addresses me as Captain Usopp!  If you’re thinking of attacking this village, you should just save your strength.  Otherwise, my fifty million men will crush you like a bug!”

 

Sabo adjusted his hat on his head, and Lami gave a bark of laughter.  “Fifty million?”  Her face took on that harsh mask again, her voice jeering.  “There’s three little boys in the bushes, and one in front of us.  Even against this idiot, you’d be no match.”  She turned her face away.  “Go home.  Children will just get hurt if you try and fight pirates.”  Her voice was bitter.

 

“Waah!”  The three young boys exclaimed in shock, shooting out of the bushes.  “She’s made us!  RUN!”

 

“You’re pretty aware, huh, Lami?”  Sabo asked her cheerfully, his hat still slanted over his eyes.

 

“I’m a doctor, idiot.  I’d be a pretty poor one if my senses were as weak as yours.”  The words were biting, but Sabo didn’t let it ruffle him.

 

“W-well, ok, I lied about the numbers!”  Usopp cried down, pulling a sling shot from the bag over his shoulder.  “But don’t laugh at me!  I’m a man of great pride!”  Lami was on top of him in a second.

 

“Pathetic.”  She said quietly, a scalpel at his throat.  “Didn’t I just tell you?  Children who mess with pirates _die_.  Go back to your parents.  Leave the fighting to the adults.”  She slipped the scalpel back to wherever it came from and slid back down the slope, eyes still hidden behind her hat’s bill.

 

Under his own hat brim, Sabo’s eyes narrowed.  He had a feeling that Lami was talking from personal experience.

 

“God dammit!”  Usopp croaked from the bluff.  “I’m so weak!  I couldn’t protect the village!”

 

“Hey, we’re not here to ransack it!”  Sabo told him warmly.  “We’re replenishing stock.  I have money to pay for what we buy.  But don’t mind Lami, she’s mean.  Kids can face up to pirates if they train hard enough.”  A blinding smile shone from under his hat.  “My brothers and I were ten and seven when we took on the Bluejam crew and won!  Ah, but we were raised by mountain bandits.”  He added as an aside.

 

Lami turned around sharply with a surprised face.  That… explained so much.

 

“You know, you’re about the same age as my little brother!”  Sabo continued, picking Usopp up and dusting him off.  “His name is Luffy, and he’s such an interesting guy!  He ate an Akuma no Mi by accident, did you know?”  He laughed, leading Usopp towards the village.  “A rubber fruit, of all things!  Ace, our other brother, thinks it’s a pretty useless power, but think of the diversity!  Though he doesn’t always have good ideas for new attacks…”

 

The ten minute walk to Syrup Village was literally just Sabo telling stories about his brothers – Usopp thought his ears would fall off, and Lami was starting to think she might be better off just finding her own boat.

 

“Long Nose-ya!”  She interrupted some story about how Luffy got eaten by the crocodile he was hunting.  “Is there anywhere around here I could buy a ship of my own?”

 

“What’s wrong with the boat we have?”  Sabo pouted.

 

Usopp was still weary of her though, so his reply of ‘no’ was very stuttered.  Lami narrowed her eyes at him some more.  “That big mansion up the top there – I’m sure those people would be quite willing to help a lost young woman out.”

 

Usopp was already shaking his head.  “The family who live up there are really wealthy, it’s true, but the gates are guarded by scary men at all times, and the only ones who’s allowed to enter are doctors to check on Miss Kaya, the daughter.”

 

Lami’s smile reminded him of a wolf.  “Well then, isn’t it a good thing _I’m_ a doctor?”

 

 


	5. Kaya

“Excuse me for intruding,” Lami said to the two tall guards formally as Usopp and Sabo watched from the tree line.  “My name is Lami.  I’m a travelling doctor from North Blue, and I heard there’s a young lady who has taken sickly here?”

 

“Why do you want to see the Young Lady?”  One guard growled.

 

“As a doctor, I want to make sure that all of my skills are kept fine-tuned.”  Lami replied easily.  “I’d like a challenge.”

 

“Go back to your own Blue, then,” the other guide said.  “I hear they haven’t found a cure for Amber Lead other than a Devil Fruit yet – why don’t you work on that?”  Sabo saw Lami’s back go rigid.

 

“At the moment, my skills aren’t high enough to match that of the Doctors Trafalgar, who were the leading researchers into that.  I thought if I could manage all the illnesses of the other three Blues, I would be capable of taking on that great challenge.”

 

 _Past tense?_   Sabo noted in regards to the Doctors.

 

“Why is a young woman traveling the world on her own, anyway?”  The first guard growled.

 

Lami’s smile and tone were still polite, but again Sabo noticed a tiny change in her posture.  _No doubt she’s thinking about her brother_ , Sabo thought to himself.  “I am nineteen years old, and I’ve been training as a doctor my whole life – I’m from a long line of the profession.  So you see, not only does my own image depend on this, but so does the expectations of my ancestors.  So if you please?”

 

“Oh, let the girl in, Arnold, Olaf!” A cheerful-sounding man called from behind the gate.  “If she wants to see what she can do for my daughter, then why not allow her in?  And besides, Kaya could use some female company.”

 

With that pleasant smile still on her face and her eyes constantly swapping in and out of shadow from under her hat, Lami followed the apparent Master of the house into the great white-washed walls.

 

Sabo and Usopp stared, slack jawed, from the forest edge.

 

“She’s an even better liar than me!”  Usopp finally managed.  “I’ve been trying to get in there for years!”

 

“I don’t think all of it was a lie,” Sabo murmured back, leaning against the tree they were hidden behind.  “Just the bits that were most important to her.”  He shook his head, deciding to leave his thoughts for later.  “Is Kaya-san’s room near a window?”

 

“Mm, it’s just over there, near that big tree.”  Usopp told him.

 

“Well, lead the way, then.”

 

* * *

 

 

“I’m sorry if my guards offended you, Lami-san.”  The Master said.

 

“Offend me?  Why would they do that?”  She asked back politely.

 

“You’re from the White City, aren’t you?”  He said softly.  Lami froze briefly, before hiding everything behind her mask again.  “My father-in-law was a man of Flevance, and he had that same tattoo.”

 

Lami covered the heart on her shoulder with her right hand.  “I’m sorry for your loss.  I imagine he has passed away, also?”

 

He smiled sadly.  “My in-laws died in a pirate attack when my daughter was still only a toddler, so thankfully, he never had to hear about the Amber Lead disease, nor suffer through it.  You must be one of the lucky ones who received treatment from that boy with the Devil Fruit!  Tora-something, wasn’t it?”

 

The fingers covering her tattoo tightened for barely a second.  “Trafalgar.  He was the son of the two greatest doctors in Flevance, Trafalgar Law.”

 

“That’s right!  I heard that Flevance was razed to the ground, though.  Are there many other survivors than yourself?”

 

Lami was quiet again, images of flames flickering behind her eyes.  “No, sir.  I am the last of my country.”

 

“I’m sorry to hear that.”  He replied genuinely, knocking on the door in front of them.  “Kaya?  There’s another doctor to see you.  Her name is Lami-san, please be courteous.”

 

“You’re – you’re so young!  And a girl!”  The blonde child in the bed exclaimed.

 

Lami still hid behind her impassive mask.  “Is there something wrong with that, Kaya-ya?”

 

“Ah, no, of course not!”  She exclaimed quickly.  “It’s just that…  Well, I…  I want to be a doctor, too!”

 

Lami raised an eyebrow, moving further inside the room and eyeing her critically.  The girl was thin, and weak, that much was apparent.  Circles under her eyes meant a lack of sleep, slight quivering of the hands implied severe fatigue or emotions, pasty skin and stringy hair meant that she hadn’t been taking in the proper nutrients – she’d most likely been skipping meals.

 

“I can see no physical ailments that would hinder such a dream, Kaya-ya,” Lami said coolly.  “So long as you studied, I imagine you’d do quite well.  Go out in the sun a bit, exercise, drink plenty of water.”  She turned to Kaya’s father.  “If the only doctors you have brought in are for the body, then there begins your issue.  The mind and soul need healing, as well.  If there is someone who is able to recommend you anti-anxiety drugs, then I would be seeking that person out and asking for their consultation.  Of course, if you are taking any other medication, please inform them of this fact, as it may cause a reaction when mixed with other drugs.  To my limited knowledge in this area, I believe that the first drugs of choice are selected serotonin, reuptake and noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors.  But again, this is not my field of expertise.”  Lami looked Kaya directly in the eyes, her gaze hard.

 

“So long as you’re willing to reach for it, any dream is possible.”

 

_So long as I’m free, I don’t care.  What’s your dream?_

 

She turned on her heel sharply then.  “Do whatever you like with this information.  I have to go find the idiot I’m travelling with – no doubt he’s fallen off a cliff or something.”  She made to leave the room, but paused in the doorway.  She looked back over her shoulder at Kaya, eyes intense.  “Don’t let being a woman and sickly stop you.  I expect to be reading your papers within the next decade.”  She strode forward again confidently, face shadowed by her hat brim.

 

_When we’re older, let’s author papers together!_

_Law-kun and Lami-chan’s relationship is so cute!  Siblings that age normally fight all the time, but he taught her how to read and write before she went to school._

_Have you read what they’re working on now?  They’re theorising about how Devil Fruits affect the individual’s body!  How advanced!  But Law-kun is the only one they know, so I don’t think they’ll get far with it…_

Lami was so lost in the memory voices that she actually bumped into someone as she moved down the entrance hallway.

 

“I’m terribly sorry, Miss.  Are you injured?”  The man was dressed like a butler, his eyes hidden behind large round spectacles.  Lami instantly disliked him.

 

“A bump like that will hardly hinder the likes of me,” Lami replied coolly.  “If your glasses are so dirty that you cannot see a person in front of you, I’d suggest you keep a cloth on you in the future – or, if the lenses do not function correctly, I’d recommend seeing an Optometrist.” 

The butler bowed in apparent apology, by Lami had to physically hold herself still – a wave of hate hit her Haki senses so hard it almost bowled her over.  This man was _dangerous_.

 

Lami stepped around him robotically and kept moving forward, senses stretched taunt _just in case_.

 

By the time the butler had risen from his bow she’d reached the end of the hallway, only to pause a few feet from the door outside, to her freedom and Sabo.

 

“Lami-san!”  Kaya suddenly exclaimed, moving quickly with one hand on her father’s shoulder.  “Lami-san, please wait!”  The young girl was panting from her exertion.

 

“Ojousama, please, you should be in bed, resting!”  The butler exclaimed.

 

She shook her head stubbornly.  “No!  That’s it, she was right!  Half of my problem is my worries!  I worry about everything around me, until I feel ill and take sick!  But, Lami-san has faith in my dream – don’t you?  That’s why you said what you did!  I’m right, aren’t I?  And, and I – I can become a doctor!  No, I _will_!!  Will you watch me, Lami-san?”

 

Lami finally turned around then, a small smirk on her lips.  “From afar.  I have a lot of travelling to do first, you see.  I have my own dream, after all, it seems.  So then let’s agree to keep an eye out for each other’s publications.  Does that sound acceptable to you, Kaya-ojouchan?”

 

The blonde smiled brightly.  “Mm!”

 

“Lami-san, what you have done for my daughter…” Kaya’s father trailed off.  “How can I repay you?”

 

Lami cocked an eyebrow.  “Do you mean that?”

 

“Of course!”

 

She jerked her thump over her shoulder.  “Then I want that sword.  I want a little bit of home.”  The navy lacquer glinted above the doorway, the scabbard tied with dark green _sageo_ , the grip alternating black and blue, and the square tsuba was thick, dark bronze in colour.  On the left guard side, if one looked closely, one could see a ghost-like pattern etched with silver inlay.

 

* * *

 

**Translations:**

**Ojousama - young lady, young mistress**

**sageo - the cord that attaches the scabbard to the belt**

**tsuba - handguard**

**saya - the scabbard**

**obi - the belt**

 


	6. Senzo no Chi

 

“WHERE DID YOU GET THAT SWORD?!”  Usopp exclaimed when they met up again in the woods.

 

“It was a gift for my help,” Lami told him coolly.  “That’s the way of things in a civilised society – for every bit of medical assistance provided, a toll must be paid of equal value.”  She hefted the blue beauty.  “In this instance, I reclaimed what is mine by bloodright, and the daughter of that house now has a more hopeful future – so long as she watches that butler, of course.”

 

“What’s it called?”  Sabo asked curiously.  “It has a name, right?”

 

“Senzo no chi….  It was stolen from my grandfather years ago.  As a child I used to say that I’d go and find it, make its name known again…”  She looked up with a hint of a smirk.  “Guess I’ve got myself another dream, Captain-ya.”  A dark mood took her though, and she began to walk back towards the beach, her face shadowed beneath her hat brim.

 

“O-oi! What – where are you going?!” 

 

Lami was quiet as she ran a thumb over the tsuba ...  She reached a decision.

 

“We’re casting off, Captain-ya!”  She exclaimed then, a determined look in her eyes, grabbing Sabo by the forearm and moving at a faster pace.   “We’ve got to find you some tough opponents and strengthen you up!  You have a date with a Shichibukai in the future, after all…”

 

“E-eh?!”  Sabo stuttered, completely taken unawares by the attitude change.

 

”Long Nose-ya, look out for Kaya-ojouchan for me, would you?”  Sabo was bundled back into his sailboat, the blue nodachi thrown in on top of him whilst Lami cast off.  “Take care, Long Nose-ya!”  It took five seconds for Lami to get them out of the bay, ten for Sabo to regather his bearings.

                                                           

“What the _hell_ was that, Lami?!”  He shouted.

 

Calmly, she took her sword back from him.  “Cast off, Captain-ya.”

 

“But I thought you were looking for a new ship!”

 

Tracing the _sageo_ with her forefinger, Lami’s reply was very quiet.  “This one is fine enough for just the two of us.  And besides …  the masters of that house don’t have very long to live.  With that black flag of ours, we’d be the main suspects, even if it is an accident.”

 

“What’s going to happen to them?”  Sabo whispered, sitting back with wide eyes.

 

“I don’t know,” She murmured back.  “I just know it’s going to happen.  And that that butler…”  She sighed.  “Again, I don’t know.  It’s just a feeling I get some times.”  They were silent for some time after that.

 

* * *

 

 

The sun was low in the sky before they spoke again. 

 

“Where are we headed tonight?”  Lami asked softly.

 

“However far we get,” Sabo answered.  “We’ll sail till dusk before setting anchor and having dinner.  We’ll set sail again at first light – and this time Lami, please get some sleep.”  A softer person would have blushed at being called out, but Lami only raised her head higher.  “I’m not going to hurt you, you know.”

 

“I have been told that on many occasions, Captain-ya.  You’ll excuse me for being cautious.”

 

Sabo sighed and checked his maps, steadied his course and brought out a leather-bound journal, taking down notes.  Though curious, Lami let him be until she noticed that at the bottom of the previous page was her own sleeping face, shadowed in parts by her hat brim.  Her eyes widened, then narrowed into a furious scowl.

 

“What is _that_?” She hissed darkly.

 

“Hmm?”  Sabo hummed, not looking up from his notes.  She jabbed a finger at the small portrait.  “Oh, that!”  Sabo exclaimed cheerfully.  “These are my notes for when I’ll write down all of my adventures, and that’s just so I’ll remember what my first mate looked like when we first met!”

 

Lami stiffened.  “Isn’t that rather foolish, casting the person most likely to betray you as your second in command?”

 

“Maybe,” Sabo answered, rubbing the back of his neck with a half-sheepish smile.  “But you’re a good person at heart, Lami, regardless of what you want other people to believe.”

 

Once again his plain, straightforward answer threw her.  “You really are an idiot,” She whispered, turning and looking out to sea.  Her eyes widened suddenly.

 

“Look out!”  She yelled, throwing herself at Sabo and tackling him to the opposite end of the boat, just as something large and vaguely humanoid _crunched_ through the prow.

 

“Well, well, well!”  The something exclaimed.  “What kind of pathetic humans do we have here?  Wait until I show Arlong-san!  Sharrararara!”

 

 

 


	7. Koala and the Fishmen

Lami made sure that her face was hidden beneath her hat brim.  Her life, and this idiot’s, depended on how convincing she could become.

 

“Wow, a Fishman!”  She gushed.  “Tell me, is that Arlong-san the same one who sailed with the Shichibukai, Jinbei-sama?” 

 

The hulking Fishman puffed out his chest proudly.  “Arlong-san sailed with the Sunny Pirates, and so did I!”

 

 _Dammit!_   Lami thought.  _A real pirate!_

 

Sabo had half-relaxed behind her back at the mention of _Shichibukai_ , but he must have picked up on her mood, because he tensed again, one hand still on her shoulder.

 

“How cool!”  Lami forced.  “You must be super powerful!” 

 

Had he been a birdman, Lami believed he would have started preening by now.  “Waa, you’ve really got everything, haven’t you!  The looks, the fame, the power…!”  She broke off in a sigh.  “The Arlong Pirates sure are something else!  I wish I could join such an amazing crew!  Don’t you think so, Sabo?”  She smiled at him winningly, and Sabo had to physically stop himself from doubletaking – she looked _very_ different when she smiled – and just managed a small nod.  Thankfully, their mast and thus, their flag, had fallen into the ocean, and if they were lucky, the fishman wouldn’t notice that they were _already_ pirates.

 

“Sharrararara!  Do not worry, pathetic humans!  For I, the Hammer Head Fishman Bob-sama, shall speak to Arlong-san for you!”

 

Lami made her gold eyes shine deeply and her face light up, clasping her hands to her chest.  “You would really do that for us?  Oh, thank you, Bob-sama!”  She saw his grey skin turn a faint pink and called it a success.  Within a matter of minutes, Bob had taken a hold of what remained of their prow and took off across the ocean to a place he called Arlong Park, the main base of the most expensive head in all of East Blue:

 

Nokogiri no Arlong. 

 

Arlong the Saw.

 

Bounty of  20, 000, 000 Belli

 

If she managed to survive this to find her brother, it would be a miracle!

 

* * *

 

Hatchan the Octopus Fishman had decided to spend today fishing.  It wasn’t that there was anything _strange_ in that idea – it was how he passed away most of his time here in East Blue.  What was strange about today, though, was that someone actually sailed a ship all the way to the front of Arlong Park!  It wasn’t flying Marine flags, though, so it couldn’t be _that_ bad, especially as there wasn’t a Jolly Roger, either!  Ah, but there was a dark red pennant flying – did that mean anything?

 

Something dropped from the strange ship into the water, and with the speed of a fishman, a young human girl suddenly jumped out of the water!  She had a yellow dress with deep pockets, kneehigh boots and a dark pink newsboy cap over top of dirty blonde hair, a Log Pose on her right wrist.

 

“Hachi-san!”  She exclaimed, positively _beaming_ , before fumbling with one of her pockets and pulling out a small blue pebble.  “Which hand?  Go on, guess!”

 

He suddenly had a memory of another smiling young girl with big violet eyes and blonde hair, guessing as _he_ held a blue sweet in one of his own hands.

 

“Koala?  Nyu, Koala!  What are you doing here?”  He exclaimed, grabbing the girl – no, young woman – up in a hug, spinning her around.

 

Koala laughed.  “It’s so good to see you, Hachi-san!”  Her smile faded though, and he put her down, worried.  “I’m … I’m really sorry about Tiger-ojisan.”  Her voice wavered.  “I didn’t find out about what happened until six months later.”

 

“Nyu, what did you do?”  He asked, concerned.  It was a _long_ way from Foolshout Island, Grand Line, to Conomi Island, East Blue!

 

“I sailed to Baltigo and when I was thirteen, I joined the Revolutionaries,” Koala told him proudly.  “I’m now the –”

 

“Who the hell are you?”  They both turned around to face an angry girl with orange hair, Arlong’s mark tattooed on her left shoulder.  Koala noted that she was younger than her, fifteen or sixteen, maybe.

 

“Nyu, Nami, you’re back!”  Hachi said cheerfully.

 

“My name is Koala!”  The girl replied cheerfully.  “Do you sail with Arlong-san and Hachi-san, too?”

 

Nami curled her lip in disgust.  “What are you doing here?”

 

Koala continued to smile.  “I had a mission in this Blue, and I thought I’d come and visit.  Do you know where Arlong-san is?”

 

The other girl sniffed and jerked her thumb towards the wall.  “Some idiot humans are trying to join his crew – I imagine he’s making short work of them, that Sabo and Lami.”

 

Koala’s eyes grew very wide then.  “Sabo?  Blonde hair, top hat and goggles?”

 

Nami’s eyes narrowed.  “Yes?”

 

Koala was over the wall in seconds, in a surprising show of speed.

 

* * *

 

 

“Arlong-san!”  Bob exclaimed upon arrival.  “Look!  I found some pathetic humans who really want to join the crew!”

 

“Is that so?”  He said.  “What’s your name, brat?”

 

“Lami – this is Sabo”.  The doctor replied, voice cool.

 

There was a snort from an orange-haired teenaged girl at Arlong’s shoulder.  “What idiots, then.  They probably can’t bring anything to the crew – you should just let them go.”

 

“Oi,” Sabo began, slightly affronted.  “Lami is an awesome doctor!  And I’m a good fighter!”

 

“Shut up, Senchou-ya,” Lami hissed quietly.

 

The orange-haired girl snorted derisively and left, saying something about someone called “Hachi”.

 

“Nokogiri-ya.”  Lami nodded at the sawnose shark once the other girl was gone, her stance casual and Senzo no Chi slung over her back by the dark green _sageo_.  “Actually, I just want information.  Do you know where I can find the Shichibukai, Kaikyō no Jinbei?”

 

Arlong’s eyes narrowed.  “And what do you want with Jinbei-aniki?”

 

“He’s a Shichibukai, so he’ll know where _that monster_ is.  Otherwise, I have no interest in him, or you.” 

 

“Arlong-san!”  There was a shout just as the fishman was rising, angrily, to his feet.  A girl between Sabo and Lami’s ages jumped over the far wall, disregarding the fact that she was in a dress to do so.

 

She took in the scene, eyes lighting on Sabo longer than anyone else, to Lami’s annoyance, before settling into a stare with Arlong.  “I won’t let you kill them.”  She stated firmly.

 

“Oh?”  Arlong drew the sound out.  “And who do you think you are, trying to stop me?”

 

Wide violet eyes narrowed.  “Have you forgotten me already?”  She asked quietly, eyes shadowed under a newsboy cap.  “It’s only been seven years.”

 

There were several exclamations of ‘Koala’, at that, and Arlong’s eyes grew impossibly wide, first with shock, and then with rage.  “You –!”  He drew his hand back, a drop of water forming.  Lami once again tackled Sabo out of the way.

 

The girl, Koala, bowed her head and took a deep breath, before looking up with resolve that Lami could feel from where she and Sabo had fallen on the ground, her own hand falling down, back, and forward again, releasing a large tear-shaped drop of water that _exploded_ against Arlong’s.

 

“I’ll take responsibility for what the villagers on Foolshout Island did to Tiger-ojisan.”  She called loudly.  “But I’m _not_ going to die because of them!  I’m going to live, and teach other humans to be better!  That’s why…”  She was shaking with emotion.  “That’s why I joined the Revolution!  I want to help this world to be better!”

 

“IT’S YOUR FAULT HE’S DEAD!!”  Arlong screamed, beyond emotional, taking staggering steps forward.  “IF IT WEREN’T FOR YOU, HE’D STILL BE ALIVE, YOU STUPID HUMAN!!”

 

Carefully, so that these people wouldn’t notice, Lami began to inch towards the far wall, dragging Sabo with her by his collar.  They’d seen Koala’s ship in the mouth of the inlet that led into Arlong Park – that’s why Bob had brought them around through the side door.  If they stole Koala’s ship, they could leave before anyone was the wiser.  Even if it hurt her heart, she had to survive, for her brother.  And this fool of a captain was going to help her!

 

 


	8. Reap, Senzo no Chi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning for gore

There was a great uproar from the fishmen, and Sabo assumed it had something to do with the water shot that Koala had launched at Arlong, whose rage seemed to have taken a turn in the psychotic direction.

 

“YOU!!  YOU _–_ HOW **_DARE_** YOU _!”_   He howled, moving forward with incredible speed, mouth open to reveal viciously sharp teeth.  “ _I’LL KILL YOU!!_ ” 

 

Even though Lami had been working on sneaking them out of there, Sabo couldn’t just leave Koala to fight this madman!  It wouldn’t be right, for one, but… She was a Revolutionary, and she wanted to change the world.

 

Arlong’s battle roar was cut short by Sabo’s pipe colliding with his skull; he was flung into the opposite wall.

 

“Isn’t it wrong to hit girls?”  Sabo asked.  “Even pirates have to have manners, right?”

 

“What are you –?”  Koala began, only to sway, duck, and uppercut an attacking fishman.

 

“You’re just like those other humans!”

 

“He’s right, it was _your_ fault Boss died!”

 

“If we hadn’t taken you on, he’d still be alive!”

 

Koala’s eyes were hidden under her fringe and hat brim, but Sabo saw her lips trembling and her fists shaking.

 

“Hey,” He asked her in an undertone.  “Dragon-san sent you to get me, right?”

 

“Yeah,” She whispered back.

 

“That boat out the front’s yours, isn’t it?”

 

“Mm.”

 

“Brilliant.  Say, is there anything position-wise you’re really good at?”

 

“Navigation, why?”

 

Sabo offered her a wild grin he’d picked up in the Forest of Mt. Corvo, from his brothers.  “Lami!”  He called just as she knocked out a handful of fishmen from behind.  “We have a Navigator for nakama!”

 

The expression on both girls’ faces was priceless!  Sabo couldn’t help but laugh.

 

“I’m not sailing with her!”  They both shouted.

 

“I really underestimated you, brat,” Arlong snarled.  “Who are you, anyway?”

 

“I’m Sabo.”  He grinned.  “I’m the captain of the Blue Scribe Pirates!  There’s only the three of us right now, but we’re strong!”  He grinned again.  “If you don’t mind, though, we have to get to the Grand Line.”  The stingray fishman came at him then, fists swinging.  Sabo blocked with his pipe, still with that feral grin on his face.

 

Before the fishman could do anything more, Lami was suddenly behind him, smashing a still-sheathed Senzo no Chi against the back of his head, knocking him out and away, as well.  “Deciding such things on your own,” She sneered from under her spotted cap, resting her large blade against one shoulder.  “How selfish of you, Captain-ya.”

 

Koala’s eyes went wide.  “O-oi, I’m not about to be a pirate!  I’m a R –”

 

“Let’s set sail!”  Sabo cheered loudly, knocking another fishman out with his wildly-flung pipe. 

 

Lami sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.  “There’s no help for it, of course,” She told Koala.  “In my professional opinion as a doctor, he is an incurable idiot.”  There was a twitch in her lips as she said it, though.

 

Sabo laughed at that, too, only to be cut off halfway by Arlong latching his teeth into Sabo’s middle, nearly bisecting the young captain.  Standing tall, Arlong shook his head like a dog, finally releasing Sabo, who crashed to the ground and slid a few feet away, a trail of blood behind him.  To his credit, he didn’t make a sound, even though his insides could clearly be seen.

 

There was a shocked silence between the two girls, before Lami’s whole face darkened like a thundercloud.  “Oi. Navigator-ya,” She hissed, voice chilling, finally drawing Senzo no Chi from its dark blue sheath.  “Take the captain to the ship.  I will join you momentarily.”

 

Faster than the fishmen could perceive, Lami shot forward and stabbed her long blade straight through Arlong’s gut.

 

“You’ll have to excuse me,” Lami’s cold voice echoed in the silence, face hidden beneath her cap brim once more. “I’m afraid I’m not well-versed in the anatomy of Fishmen.  But I believe it to be quite similar to humans, so know that I have just ruptured your pancreas and small intestines, and nicked your stomach.  If that’s not treated soon, the acids from your stomach and contents of your guts will infect the surrounding tissue, and you will die slowly and painfully.  That is, of course, if I were to allow you a slow death.”  She looked up then, gold eyes hard and tan face feral.

 

 _“Reap, Senzo no Chi!_ ”  She snarled.  The blue and green sword had seemed to be turning red the whole time it was inside of Arlong, and now the blade shone with an eerie red light, flashing three times before there was a burst of lightning that shot through both Arlong and Lami, racing across the ground and shocking most of the fishmen, as well. 

 

 _Perhaps I should have warned Koala first_ , Lami thought dizzyingly as Arlong’s men screamed and the lighting danced into the sky.  … _Nah…_

 

* * *

 

 

Aboard the ship Dragon-san had lent her, Koala placed Sabo on his new bed, bound his stomach with a blanket quickly and raced aboard deck to lift the anchor for cast off.  Just as she’d placed the anchor on the deck and was making her way back to Sabo again was when she saw _it_.

 

Blood red lightning danced into the sky, and she heard the fishmen _scream_.  Amongst it all, she thought she heard Lami’s voice.

 

“Hachi-san!”  Koala screamed to her old friend from the deck, watching as the octopus fishman and his orange-haired companion dived away from the wall and into the water.  The lightning stopped, and Koala wasted no time in diving in herself, speeding through the inlet and jumping to the ground inside of Arlong Park.

 

Lami and Arlong were on their knees, weak jolts of that red electricity spasming between the two of them, their skin browned from the heat.

 

Lami coughed, eyes half-lidded.  “What do you want… Navigator-ya?  Am I … taking too long for your precious course to … to stay…”  She collapsed, grip still tight on her once-again blue and green nodachi.  Koala rushed forward then, taking the sword and sheath from Lami’s hands and using the green sageo to tie it to her own back, before carefully lifting Lami onto her back and pulling a small piece of coral out of one of her pockets as she dived into the sea.  A bubble of air formed around the two girls, and Koala used her Fishman Karate to propel them back towards her ship.

 

Leaning Lami against the mast briefly, Koala set their course headed due East – there was only one island between Conomi and the Calm Belt in this direction, there was Kairoseki in the keel to keep away the Sea Kings, and that one island had no Marine base.  However by the time Koala had brought Lami into Sabo’s room, placed her on a mat next to him and found the first aid kit, her breath was coming in quick bursts of worry. 

 

“What do I do?”  She whispered, shivering.  As a member of the Revolution, she _had_ had basic first aid teachings… “Right, deal with the most injured!  That means Sabo-kun!”  In the few minutes it had taken Koala to rescue Lami and set their course, he’d managed to bleed through the sheet holding everything together, and his breathing was laboured.  Suddenly terrified of what she would see, Koala gently removed the sheet from his wound.

 

It was the same pinky-maroon as her newsboy hat, though there were other colours in there, too; Koala struggled with bile when she noticed that it was Sabo’s inner organs, and that the white stuff shining blearily through was bone – his ribs?  By some miracle, though, his organs didn’t appear to have been ruptured, but she couldn’t be certain.  That _was_ an awful lot of blood…

 

“Do I stop the bleeding, or stitch the wound, or…?”  Koala trailed off, trying desperately to keep a level head.

 

“Fetch boiled water.”  Lami croaked at her, struggling over to Sabo’s bunk, pulling the first aid kit towards herself, tugging on the ends of her dark blue gloves.  “Also, more bindings, to stopper the wound.”

 

Koala raced to do as she asked.  How could Lami have woken after that?!  How could she be so calm, seeing _that_?!  Sabo’s guts… they were…

 

“Stop it!”  She growled at herself, shoving the emotions into a corner of her mind when she realised that, whilst waiting for the water to boil, she’d started cleaning the table with one of the cloths.  “Now isn’t the time for old habits!”  She growled at herself, swiping at her eyes once, before going about finding more bindings.

 

She was going to help these people in whatever way she could, that was a promise!  She was the Chief of Staff, number two of the Revolution, and she would keep her word!

 

* * *

 

 

  ****

**If I got any of the anatomy wrong, please correct me – I haven’t done science since year ten of high school, biology since year _eight_ , so it’s all based off of what the internet could help me out with.**

**Also, basing the guts stuff off of wild dog wounds I saw at home with some of our sheep.  And if anyone tries to say that sheep are weak or anything, mate, have I got some stories about the tenacious little buggers and their pain threshold.**


	9. Doctors Debut

“Silk Island, huh?”  Lami murmured the next day, looking over Koala’s map with a weary eye.  “Well, maybe they have a sufficient medical facility there.”  She’d taken her hat off at some point in the night and replaced its position on her forehead with big square glasses, and tied her pigtails up into a high ponytail to keep hair out of her face

 

“Lami-san,” Koala began quietly.  “What are his chances?”

 

Lami’s face remained carefully blank, having expected the question.  “In his current condition, Captain-ya has only a minimalistic chance of surviving – and those small chances would be even more microscopic if Nokogiri-ya had managed to bite through his back as cleanly as he had the front.”  She flicked her fingers dismissively at Sabo’s torn and bloodied journal.  “It’s a good thing he had that down the back of his shirt.  Anyway, I’ve set his ribs and stitched everything back together, but there is still the chance that infection might set in – who knows what was in that monster’s mouth?  If I have the correct equipment and medication on hand, I should be able to stave off any possibility of that happening.  How long until we reach that island?”

 

“We should reach Silk Island late tomorrow morning, at our current pace,” Koala said quietly, eyes fixed on Sabo worriedly. 

 

Lami cast about for a topic change to ease Koala’s mood, if only for a short period.  “You came to get him.  Why?”

 

“Dragon-san asked me to.  He and Sabo-kun have a long-standing agreement that Sabo-kun would join the Revolution once he turned seventeen.  I was going to pick him up from his home island, but I wanted to talk to Arlong-san first …  How did you end with him?”

 

Lami sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose.  “You have any coffee aboard?  Tea?”

 

Koala nodded, rising to her feet.  “How do you take your coffee?”

 

“Black and strong.”  Lami replied firmly.  That should keep Koala busy for a few minutes.  Slipping her glasses back onto her nose, she checked Sabo’s vitals again and mopped his forehead with a damp cloth.  Truly, his chances were minimalist at best.  However, he’d already healed far faster than she would have expected.  So maybe –

 

_Smash!_

 

Lami shot upright, Senzo no Chi in her hands in an instant.  How had she missed this?  Her Haki had been so concentrated on Sabo she’d forgotten about the seas surrounding them!  


“Surrender your goods to Alvida-sama!”  A man called from the deck.

 

“No.”  Koala’s calm voice replied.  Lami frowned in concentration – there were already ten men aboard, and only she and Koala to defend their idiot Captain.  “Get off this ship.”

 

“Now now, girlie, don’t be like that!  You don’t want the beautiful Alvida-sama to come over here with her club, now do you?”

 

Koala’s answering ‘hmpf’ was almost too feint for Lami’s ears; although, Lami had to give it to her, Koala was very flexible and very, _very_ fast, speeding from one man to another and taking them out with a solid punch or kick to the sternum or gut, dodging around any attempts of a fight Alvida’s bully boys tried to put up.  Having knocked all of the intruders out, Koala then tossed them overboard and shot one of those water bullets at the ship next to theirs, Alvida’s, and then caused their ship to take off over the waves at greater speeds than before.

 

Lami held Sabo in place steadily; after a half hour or so the ship had stopped skipping, and within another five minutes, Koala appeared with a tray of coffee.

 

“Sorry about that,” She told Lami grimly.  “That might come back to bite us later.”

 

Lami shrugged carelessly, taking the mug Koala handed her.  “It matters not.  For the moment, everything is manageable.  Were you thinking about lunch yet?”

 

“Eh?”  Koala paused with her own mug halfway up to stare at Lami.  “Lunch?  Now?  What about Sabo?”

 

“Do you know how to make a stew?”  Lami asked instead.  “Or rather, do you have the ingredients for one?”

 

“I think so?”  Koala managed, still confused.  “It’s early morning yet, though!”

 

“Yes, but a decent stew should take four hours or so to make.  If I write out the recipe, can you follow the instructions?”

 

“Yes?”

 

“Is that a question or a confirmation?”  Lami snarked.

 

Koala turned pink.  “You arsehole!”

 

* * *

 

 

The day remained uneventful after that.  Koala worked on the stew for lunch, using some of the strips of beef jerky from her storage for the meat and what was left of the fresh vegetables to fill out the rest of the soup.  Lami stayed by Sabo, occasionally dribbling water or warm tea over his lips to keep him hydrated, and dozing fitfully next to her captain.

 

By the time lunch was ready, _much_ to Lami’s surprise, Sabo woke briefly.

 

“Don’t eat all the meat, Luffy…”  He mumbled, the first hint to the two girls that he was waking.  “Ace,” He whined, eyes fluttering.  “Save my dinner!”

 

Lami wasted no time in scolding him. 

 

“In your condition, you won’t be getting anything solid for at _least_ a week!  It’s a good thing we decided to take our time getting to the Grand Line, you wouldn’t last a _minute_ against Doflamingo!”

 

Sabo had finally managed to open his eyes during the beginnings of his scolding, and he looked from one girl to the other.  “Lami, Koala…  When’s lunch?”

 

“ _You idiot_!”  Two voices snapped and two hands had to be restrained from hitting their sweatdropping captain.

 

Lami recovered her temper (or at least appearance of) first, and proceeded to coolly tell the idiot that he would be spoon-fed the soup from the stew, and not the actual contents, much to his horror.  Both girls took great pleasure in eating everything in their bowls in front of him, Koala soaking the last of her soup up with a piece of bread (Lami had point-blank refused her piece), and once they had finished and Lami had given him another small cup of tea, Lami made Sabo go back to sleep.  For the rest of the afternoon, everyone was in considerably higher spirits than they’d been in that morning.

 


	10. Fishing

It was about eight in the morning that their ship pulled into the docks on Silk Island, out the front of the township of Girdle.  Koala had gone to negotiate a deal with the harbourmaster, leaving Lami to watch over Sabo, who had taken a fever in the night, much to the girls’ worry.  It was easy enough to secure a mooring for their boat, however, so long as neither girl mentioned that they were pirates.  In fact, when questioned as to how their captain had ended up in the state he was, Koala had said they’d run afoul of some pirates, and their captain had stood up for them. 

 

Technically, not a lie!

 

Unfortunately for Lami, the current doctor in the town wasn’t very … orthodox.  Having taken Sabo to the clinic on a stretcher for a second medical opinion and further materials, Lami had been furious to discover just how different Silk Island was to Flevance.  For example, the doctor, Frosche,’s treatment method for Sabo’s wounds had been to offer to pray, naked, under an appletree on the upcoming equinox, as well as suggesting that she bath the wounds in a mixture of sheep urine, smooshed lizard guts, and pig blood.  Upon her refusal of such methods (accompanied by some cutting remarks in regards to the doctor’s sanity, hygiene, and ancestry), Frosche had made to throw Lami out, only for her to leave with a final comment, head held high and shoulders proud.

 

The two girls had returned Sabo back to his bunk aboard Koala’s ship, and whilst Koala had watched over their shivering captain with stern instructions from Lami, the Blue Scribes’ young doctor had snuck back into the clinic to gather the necessary herbs to help his treatment.  They decided to deal with the temper tantrum from Girdle’s doctor when, and if, it happened.

 

The night was still a long one, however.  Sabo remained red-faced and sweaty all throughout, contracting a harsh, gunky-sounding cough somewhere around two in the morning.  The girls spent much of the rest of the night trying to ease his coughs, Koala elevating him slightly and mopping Sabo’s face, neck and chest, covering him up with swathes of blankets as Lami tried to create a medicine to help break up the phlegm coating his lungs, as well as antibacterial ointments for his wounds.

 

By first light, he was at least breathing easier, although it still rattled in his throat, reminding Koala uncomfortably of her time as a slave, and Lami too much of the dead.

 

“Oi, Navigator-ya,” Lami said quietly perhaps a half hour after sunrise.  “Go to market and see what you can get for food and fresh water, would you?  Another blanket and fresh linens wouldn’t hurt either, if we can spare the Belli.”

 

In a bit of a daze herself after such a night, Koala nodded and made her way above deck, moneybag to hand.

 

Much to her surprise, Koala found two boys about to cast off from the mooring point next to their ship, laughing together over a shared joke.  They were both younger than herself, no older than fifteen.  One was small, pale and slightly chubby with light pink hair and big blue glasses, whilst the other was thin as a stick and dark as one too, his hair dark green with a shocking strip of hot pink in his shaggy fringe.

 

“Oh, good morning!”  The pink-haired one exclaimed politely.

 

“Heya!”  The green-haired one added excitedly.  “Are you that cranky doctor lady they were all talking about yesterday?”

 

Koala burst out laughing.  “No!”  She finally gasped out, calming down.  “I’m the navigator, Koala.  Lami is the doctor, but she’s down below with our captain.”

 

“Oh,” The dark-skinned boy actually looked put out by the revelation.

 

“Leif!”  Hissed the paler boy.  “Don’t be rude!”  He bowed to Koala politely.  “I’m sorry about my cousin, Koala-san!  He forgets his manners some days,” here he shot a reproachful look at the darker boy.  “My name is Coby!”  He elbowed his cousin, who yelped and added,

 

“’m Leif!  Nice to meet ya!”

 

Koala grinned.  Looked like she’d made some friends!  “It’s nice to meet you two, too!  Hey, could you help me out?  Where would be the cheapest places to get groceries, blankets, and fresh bandage linens?”

 

The cousins exchanged odd looks.

 

“It’s probably not a good idea for you to be seen today, Koala-san.”  Coby began.  “You really made Frosch-sensei mad.”

 

“We can help with the blankets and linens, though!”  Leif added cheerfully.  “Auntie Dawn, Coby’s mum, she’s the top tailor in town, and _I’m_ her apprentice!  Making linen and bandages is easy!”

 

Before Coby could scold his rambunctious cousin again, Koala clapped her hands excitedly, smiling brightly.  “Would you really help us?  That’s so kind of you both!”

 

Both boys had colour flaring in their cheeks, as they stumbled out “it’s no worries”s and “not a bother”s.

 

“Let’s split up!”  Leif exclaimed to his cousin.  “You get the blankets and bandages, and I’ll get some food for the miss!”  He was off like a rabbit then, disappearing through the brush, fluttering pieces of his fringe the only sign of where he was.

 

“Hey, wait!”  Coby exclaimed.  “What about the fishing?!”  He, too, took off, leaving Koala on deck with her thoughts.

 

_Huh… fish…_

 

On Fishman Island, seafood was, obviously, a staple part of the inhabitants’ diet.  Naturally, the Sunny Pirates would see little need to change this once at sea.  At first, Koala had been confused that _Fishmen_ would eat _fish_ , but they’d explained to her that there was a difference between their two species, just like there was a difference between humans and monkeys (though some of them found it harder to differentiate than others).  As such, dinner was perhaps the easiest job aboard ship, at least for the Pirates.  All they had to do was jump over board, pick what they wanted cooked, and then chase it down.

 

Having sailed with them for so long, Koala had also developed a taste for seafood, and since she’d gotten a firm control over her Fishman Karate, had often snuck off the coast of Baltigo to find dinner.  Reaching into the deep pocket of her yellow dress, Koala pulled out her bubble-making piece of coral and dived over board, creating a pocket of air for her face under the waves.

 

Spotting a school of fish in the distance, Koala zoomed off, a smile on her face.  Maybe this pirating thing would be kinda fun, after all?

 

* * *

 

 

Lami felt her head nodding, and once again shook herself back to wakefulness, moving forward to check Sabo over.  It was curious that the captain had taken so ill all of a sudden, after such progress the day before.  Once again, Lami cursed the fact that she wasn’t as good as her big brother – _he’d_ know how to help Sabo!

 

The blonde stirred in his sleep, shifting and making small noises of pain.

 

“Sh, shh now,” Lami murmured, brushing his fringe from his face and wiping his brow with a wet cloth again.

 

“Maki…no-san,” Sabo rasped, the name drawn out.  “My brothers…?”

 

“They’re fine,” Lami answered gently, still smoothing his hair off his face.  “Go back to sleep.  It will help you heal.”

 

“Will you…,” he tried to clear his throat.  “Will you tell me a … story?  Just like when we were kids?”

 

Taking a cup of water and half sitting Sabo up, Lami gave him a little bit at a time.  Whilst she was doing that, however, she was repeating one of the bedtime stories her mother used to read to her as a small child.

 

“ _Once upon a time, long, long ago… Perhaps over four hundred years ago…  In a certain country in the North Sea, there lived a man named Montblanc Norland.  Norland was an explorer who always spoke of adventures so grand, they sounded like lies.  But the people of the village could never tell if those stories were true or not.  One day, Norland returned from an expedition and went to report to the King._

_“‘I saw a mountain of gold on an island in the Grand Line!’_

_“The brave King, wanting to see for himself… set sail for the Great Sea, taking two thousand soldiers with him.  After overcoming great storms, and battling horrific monsters, the only ones to reach the island were Norland, the King, and one hundred of the soldiers._

_“But all the King and his men found there was an empty jungle.  Norland was sentenced to death for his lies.  And these were Norland’s last words:_

_“‘That’s it!  The mountain of gold must have sunk into the ocean!’_

_“The King and his subjects were astounded.  No one would believe Norland anymore.  But to the day he died, Norland would not stop lying.  And so, this is a warning for the little children of the North Blue – if you lie, eventually you’ll get caught, and punished.  So don’t be like Norland, and make sure you tell your elders the truth… The End.”_

 

Lami felt her lips twitch though, as she watched Sabo slip deeper into sleep’s waiting arms.  “But, then again… Norland-ya was a bit more decent than a pirate.  I think it’s rather part and parcel for us to lie!  However…” She cast her senses out, confused.

 

“Where the hell is Koala-ya?!”

 

 


	11. Leif and Coby

_Where were they?  His brothers… there was a fire in the Grey Terminal, he had to warn his brothers…!  He had to warn them!_

_So much pain… his ship exploded…?  No, that happened after the fire, his brothers were alright!  But Dadan… Dadan was hurt, he had to go back and help them, help Ace and Dadan…_

_Bluejam!  Bluejam had Luffy… He was going to kill Luffy!  Ace would die first, he wouldn’t let anything happen to their little brother…!_

_He had to get up, he had to save his brothers!_

 

* * *

 

Koala was having a blast chasing fish!  The sea water seemed to revive her after the night spent worrying over Sabo, and even though she was struggling with trying to catch this school of mini-tuna, it was great!

 

There was still that tiny voice in the back of her mind, though, reminding her that Lami was watching Sabo all on her own, and she, Koala, would have to return shortly.  _After_ she caught their dinner, of course!

 

Having chased the fish along most of the coast and up against the cliffs on the south side of the island, Koala paused in her pursuit to swim closer to the ocean floor that lead up the cliff faces.  Getting in closer, she cheered at her good luck: oysters!  They were scattered throughout the sand, there were other, smaller, shellfish clinging to the cliff walls, and some curious silverfish were peeping out from between the rocks.  They’d have a feast tonight!

 

Creating another bubble from her piece of coral, Koala placed her haul inside so that her hands still remained free.  Thinking of her two new friends, Koala followed the currents out of the bay a little bit and down into the beds of seaweed, which is where she managed to catch some more fish, as an apology and a thank you to Leif and Coby.  Just as she was ready to swim back however, a glint of gold amongst the seaweed caught Koala’s eye.  Swimming in for a closer look, she found a gilded spyglass – the model was at least twenty years old, but still very fancy. 

 

Humming happily, Koala followed the seaweed trail back to the western edge of the island, picking up the occasional knick knack along the way.  By the time she was within a stonethrow of the jetties, Koala had found some old muskets, daggers, a string of pearls (she tucked that one away for later), a gold compass, as well a few silver fob watches.  By the time she was ready to shoot herself and her catches back on deck, Koala had also tucked the compass, three watches, the pearls and a brooch into her deep pockets.  It was just as she was about to spin out of the water, though, that something strange caught Koala’s eye – an olde cannon.

 

Frowning, Koala swam a bit closer for another look, jerking back when a moray eel hissed at her from the muzzle.  Blowing a raspberry at the creature, Koala tucked the strangely misplaced weapon in the back of her mind and shot herself back up on deck, just as a very cranky Lami was coming topside.

 

“The hell took you so long?”  Lami snapped; Koala merely grinned from inside the circle of seafood that had landed, rather unceremoniously, once the bubbles had popped.

 

“I had to chase dinner,” Koala told her easily.  “I got this for you, too!”  She added, pulling out one of the fob watches.

 

Lami stared at it for a moment, face blank, before looking back up with that half-sneer she’d worn in Arlong Park.  “Something of that age is hardly going to work after however long in the sea – it’s not water proof.”

 

Koala pouted.  “And here I went to all the trouble of getting you a present.”

 

“It was shiny and you wanted justification to pick it up,” Lami shrugged coolly, turning away.  “And by the way, I don’t eat shellfish.”

 

Koala went pink.  “Now’s hardly the time to get picky!  I just caught us a free meal that should keep until tomorrow, at least!”

 

Lami paused with her back to Koala, one hand on the door leading below decks.  “It’s not called _being picky_ ,” She replied icily.  “It’s called _being allergic_.  Dumbarse.”

 

The colour in Koala’s cheeks spread to her ears and down her neck.  “Oh,” she said in a small voice.

 

Now that she thought about it, there had been members of the Revolution who were allergic to many of the meals she helped prepare… shellfish, just fish, calamari, there had been many occasions when Koala had had to create a secondary dish to accommodate for those who would either break out or, in some cases, die if they ate the seafood she had already cooked.  She should have asked Lami about allergies, but it slipped her mind…

 

First things first, she had to get the food she’d caught into some clean water until she could start preparing it.  Lami was still able to eat the fish she’d caught, apparently, and the shellfish would be easy enough to prepare for herself, as well – or she could just give a larger proportion of the shellfish to Coby and Leif.  First things first though, pots!

 

* * *

 

 

By the time the cousins returned, Koala had descaled and gutted almost all of the fish.  “Ah, just in time!”  She called cheerfully.  “You can help me skin them!”

 

The boys stared in shock – they’d only been an hour and a half, how had she gotten so much seafood already?!

 

“K-Koala-san!”  Coby gasped, bug-eyed.  “How did you…?!”

 

Leif burst out laughing.  “You’re really something else there, miss!  You wanna do a trade?”  He grinned as he offered a basket full of mushrooms, herbs, roots, berries, bark, fruits and, to Koala’s mild disgust, grubs.

 

“Uh… Thanks, Leif-kun, but half the fish and most of the crustaceans are for you two, anyway.  Turns out that Lami’s allergic,” Koala shrugged, putting their share of the fish back into the bucket of water that already held their half of the oysters and shellfish.  “I didn’t know how big your families were, so I got a bit of everything.”

 

“It’s just us and Auntie Dawn,” Leif said quietly, after exchanging a glance with Coby.  “My parents died in the pirate attack twelve years ago, and Coby’s dad died in marine service.”

 

“I’m sorry about that,” Koala replied, eyes softening.  “But, on the bright side, you’ll certainly have a feast!  And, thanks for getting those supplies from Dawn-san, too.  It’s been really hel –”

 

“Koala!”  Lami shouted suddenly from their ship.  “I need help!”

 

Koala was off like a shot, leaving the food to the cousins.

 

Coby and Leif exchanged worried looks before gathering everything up and taking the supplies aboard ship. 

 

“ _Hold him!_ ” 

 

“ _What happened?!_ ” 

 

“ _He’s having a reaction, but I don’t know what to!”_

 

Trying their best to ignore the rushed voices of Lami and Koala, they took the food into the galley, and then followed the voices back to where they were keeping their sick captain.

 

“Go fetch Aunty Dawn,” Leif told his cousin quickly, making his way to the captain’s room.  “Bring whatever she thinks is necessary!”  The boys split up then, Coby leaving the ship and Leif entering the room to see what he could do.

 

The blonde man in the bed was thrashing weakly, his face red and fevered, shouting hoarsely for people called “Ace” and “Luffy”.

 

Lami was snapping instructions at Koala, glasses balanced precariously on the tip of her nose, a book discarded on the floor as she flipped through the medicine that she’d ‘liberated’ from Frosch-sensei, preparing a needle with a sedative she’d made earlier in the day from the stolen ingredients.

 

Leif dashed forward and slapped the serum from her hands, pulling another casing from his backpack.  “Don’t use the stuff from Frosch-sensei, it’s a virus!  Use this instead, otherwise he’ll be dead by tomorrow morning!”

 


	12. Dawn + Omake

Lami remained impassive, even as Sabo continued to thrash on his bunk.  “Why should I believe you?  How do I know that _that_ isn’t a virus, or even poison?”

 

“You don’t.”  Leif said plainly.  “But you also don’t have the time to spare: he’s already been exposed, that’s why he’s reacting so violently.  So please!  Use this instead, and save your captain!”

 

Lami wasted only another second making her decision, snatching the pouch from Leif and opening it to reveal a wad of herbs wrapped tightly into a little ball.  A piece of paper with a woman’s fine scrawl read, _Sedative, for spasms, fits and shock.  Place under tongue and make sure the patient doesn’t swallow!_   Following these instructions, Lami watched as her captain calmed, and fell back into a fitful doze.

 

Gesturing to Koala, the girl’s released their hold on Sabo; Koala wiped his brow with a clean, damp cloth, and Lami checked his vitals, and made sure that he hadn’t, as yet, swallowed the medication.  Nodding, satisfied, Lami then became a blur of motion, slamming Leif against the cabin wall, Senzo no Chi’s blade at his throat

 

“Why would your doctor give us a virus?”  Lami asked coldly.

 

“It’s a power thing.” He answered.  “If you don’t go to him for treatment, you die.  Didn’t you wonder why everyone on this island has pink hair?”

 

“What?”  Koala gasped. 

 

Lami narrowed her eyes dangerously.  “Explain.”

 

“The cure to Frosche-sensei’s virus marks you so that he knows that you’ve had his sickness.  Once you’ve had it, he can infect you again whenever he likes.  Only some of the islanders remember this, and that’s mostly the elders.”

 

“So then how do you know this?”  Lami asked.  “Why do you have so little pink in your hair?”

 

The answering grin Leif gave was feral and wild.  “My mother and Aunty Dawn were clever – I’d already been hidden away, so by the time I did join the town, they’d found their own cures and preventatives.  I’m almost immune now.”

 

“Is that how you came to have a sedative on you?”

 

Leif went to nod, but remembered Senzo’s blade at his throat, and grunted an agreement instead.

 

With a sigh, Lami pulled back and sheathed the drawn twenty centimetres of blade, and moved back beside Koala by Sabo’s bunk.  It was at that time that Coby returned with his mother; a pale woman with pink-streaked green hair.  The girls both took up slightly defensive positions in front of their captain.

 

Hazel eyes narrowed.  “Coby, will you go back and mind my shop please?  If anyone asks for me, I’ve gone looking for new silk worms.”  Once her son had left, she leant back against the cabin wall, arms crossed.  “What trouble has Dragon-kun gotten his brats into this time?”

 

“I beg your pardon?”  Koala asked, half-offended.

 

Dawn snorted.  “I was the doctor of this island for almost twenty years before that idiot came along.  Dragon-kun is originally from this sea, off an island with the same name as me – I’ve been patching him and his brats up for years.”  Her eyes had raked over both girls, and were now seeking out Sabo amongst his blankets behind them.  “So tell me, how is it that one brat is fine, another has mild electrical burns, and the third looks like he’s been mauled by a shark?  Don’t tell me you tried to take on Nokogiri no Arlong?”  The last part was snorted derisively.

 

Lami’s eyes were almost slits.  “I thought you were a tailor.”

 

A dark shadow passed over Dawn’s eyes.  “That was my sister Dusk, Leif’s mother.  When the Marine’s decided to take over this island, though, they felt that it would be easier if there was a doctor’s position to fill, and memories of our culture altered.  Since she was already a wanted woman, and Coby was still so young, Dusk made the swap without telling me, leaving only the antidotes we’d developed against Frosche’s viruses, as well as instructions for protecting my nephew.”  Dawn’s grip tightened on her upper arms.  “There are advantages of being identical, and having your parents train you both equally, and at the same time.  I was almost as capable of sewing as I was of healing.  They never suspected a thing.”

 

“That was twelve years ago?”  Koala asked, violet eyes suspicious.  At Dawn’s nod, she turned to Leif.  “The pirate attack that took your parents, that was organised by the Marines?”  Her hands clenched into tight fists.  “This stink of the rotten and the corrupt, even East Blue isn’t free!”

 

“What a typical Revolutionary response to such a story,” Lami sneered, turning back to Sabo and moving to rewrap his sides.  “Naturally, where there are people in power, there will always be others trodden underfoot, lives taken away too early.”  Even though her hands remained steady and her face calm, the eyes hidden beneath her hat brim were haunted.  “The weak don’t choose their way of dying, idiot.”

 

“Oh, I forgot you were going along with Sabo-kun’s stupid pirate idea!”  Koala snapped.  “Sorry to tell you this, but a pirate is incapable of changing the hierarchies that breed such corruption!”

 

“Try telling that to Captain-ya,” Lami replied easily.  “He seems to think he’s capable of such a thing.  My only interest in piracy is that it will help me rescue my brother, and nothing more.  Who in their right mind would trust a pirate doctor?”

 

_In North Blue, a tall, tan young man with Flevance tattoos sneezed, before heading into his operating theatre to attend to his newest patient._

_“Penguin must have changed his deodorant, or something… Whatever.”_

 

“Sorry to interrupt your lover’s quarrel,” Dawn drawled, “But just out of curiosity, did you want my help with your captain or not?”

 

* * *

* * *

  

**So this omake is for Shibo (it was either this or a Doffy smut scene – (I nakama-love you, but I’m** _not_ **touching that with a ten foot cattle prod), and I hope it cheers you up a bit!**

 

To say that Dadan’s three pseudo-sons were worried was an understatement – they were freaking out.  It was their baby sister’s first day of high school!  There were going to be _boys_ there!  Wait, no, there were going to be _teenagers_!!  (Leo wasn’t picky in her crushes)

 

Luffy didn’t really see anything wrong with it, since they’d all made it through fine.  He was only year nine, though, Ace and Sabo were in their final year, and they _knew_ , with overprotective-big-brother certainty, that something would go wrong!

 

At first, Leo had been amused by her oldest brothers’ actions.  That was _before_ they had tried to tell her that her long sleeved, button up, collared shirt was too revealing, and her ankle-long, baggy pants showed too much skin.  When they started begging Dadan for a chastity belt (whatever _that_ was), _that’s_ when Leo decided to knock them over the head.

 

“I’m perfectly capable of dressing myself!  Now get _out_!!”  She yelled, kicking all three brothers out of the room they shared.  Panting angrily, Leo took a moment to concoct a devious plan of revenge!  Claiming one of Luffy’s vaguely-clean jeans, a tight black singlet and a fluffy-hooded vest, the finishing touches were the aviator goggles Sabo used to wear when they were kids, and combat boots.  She’d show her brothers!

 

Climbing out the window into the alleyway outside, Leo sprinted around the front, shouting goodbye to the thugs on guard duty, Mogra and Dogra, her bag slung over one shoulder, and cackling as she went.

 

For her brothers, it was _not_ a good start to such a momentous occasion.

 

It didn’t help that Leo continued to avoid her oldest brothers throughout the day – during smoko break, she’d attempted to find Luffy and managed to get herself lost in the process, too busy getting into a fight with a (in her opinion, very cute) delinquent called Kidd.  Apparently, he didn’t think “goatikins” was a very nice nickname.  At lunch she was stuck in a detention with one of the girls in her class who she’d spent all morning arguing with, so Ace and Sabo couldn’t find her then, either.

 

Of course, Luffy knew Leo was alright!  He’d caught glimpses of her throughout the day, and Zoro said she was fine when he’d helped her find her way to her next class (at least until she got herself lost, but that wasn’t Zoro’s fault, one second she was there, then she wasn’t!).

 

Ace and Sabo, after recovering from their temper tantrums that morning, had figured that it was probably best to leave Leo to her own devices for the day, after all.  She could handle herself – she was their little sister!

 

* * *

 

 

 

Meanwhile, Leo had been having a brilliant day of it all!  Her classes were fun, the kids were either funny, or cool, or fluffy, or cute – except for Lami.  She and Leo had been butting heads since homeroom, and it was all that bitch’s fault they’d gotten detention!  Yes, Leo had strong opinions too, but if Lami hadn’t been saying such stupid things, Leo wouldn’t have yelled at her!  And now here they were, two o’clock on the first day, and suspended for a week with a month of detentions after they returned!!  Ok, Leo _may_ have helped in destroying the gym, but Lami started it!  And now she’d have to explain to her brothers what had happened, and tell Dadan that she had to stay in the house for the next week, AND tell Banchina that she wouldn’t be able to make it to work for the next month because of her detentions (which Lami had kept her in, with those comments of _what job could a thirteen-year-old possibly have?_ )

 

“This is all your fault, I hope you realise!”  Lami hissed at her from the opposite ends of the Principal’s couch.

 

“If you hadn’t gotten in my way, I wouldn’t be here!”  Leo snapped back.

 

“Please, it was your own foolishness – ”

 

“You wanna say that a bit louder?!”

 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t realise you were deaf as well as stupid!”

 

It was shortly after the two had lunged at each other and fallen into a kicking, punching, scratching, biting mess on the floor that Ace and Law arrived to take them home.

 

It was going to be a _long_ year!

 

 

 

 

 


	13. Tērā

 

Lami seemed a lot more willing to take assistance from Dawn than from Leif – it may or may not have had to do with their shared “story time”.  Dawn went to work quickly, examining Sabo’s wounds thoroughly, and listening attentively to Lami’s report; accepting Koala’s offer of tea, she sent her nephew to the galley as well, to make sure it was made just right.

 

Creating a poultice out of the remains of Sabo’s sedatives, some weird squiggly things which turned out to be dead silkworms, and some of the herbs that Leif had delivered earlier, Dawn and Lami rewrapped his wounds.  The smell kept Koala and Leif in the kitchen, although their excuse was that they wanted to get a start on making lunch.

 

“Tell me,” Dawn eventually asked. “What has two pirates and a Revolutionary sailing together?” 

 

“Fate, apparently.”  Lami answered.  “I’m still waiting for Captain-ya to wake up and explain.”

 

“What kind of person is he, your captain?”

 

Dawn’s questions sound simple enough, but Lami had not managed to travel quite so far by taking things at face value.  “A doctor doesn’t need to know anything about their patient’s personality; that just complicates everything.”

 

Dawn was still for a moment, before asking, “Is that your opinion?”

 

“Aye.  It is my job to heal, not develop attachments.”

 

“Eh, is that how it is, in Flevance?  I had no idea that the White City bred such heartless doctors.”

 

As this was only the second time in the last eleven years that her nationality had been recognised, Lami froze for a second, breath stuck in her throat.  “You are mistaken, Dawn-ya.”  She managed.  “My parents and brother were very invested in their patients.  It was the World Government and its secrets that armoured my heart.”

 

Dawn wore a fond smile.  “You are one of Dragon-kun’s, alright.  But won’t that be a sight!  Revolutionary Pirates!”  She laughed, and Lami scowled, concentrating on rewrapping Sabo’s bandages.  After a few moments of peace, Dawn sighed, catching Lami’s attention.

 

“What is your goal, Isha-chan?  Do you want to change the world?”

 

Lami finished tying off Sabo’s bandages, and pushed her glasses back onto the top of her head.  “It’s true that I want a world where incidents like Flevance won’t ever happen again – but I am realistic enough to know that that is an impossible dream.”

 

“Even after joining the Revolution?”

 

Lami snorted.  “Because they’ve been so successful so far?  Besides, I haven’t joined them, I joined up with this idiot.”

 

Dawn laughed.  “You remind me of myself, when I was your age!”

 

Lami went to say something scathing, only for her eyes to widen, and her head to whip around suddenly, as though she might be able to see through the ship walls.

 

“Koala!”  She shouted, racing above deck with Senzo no chi to hand, half-hanging over the railing for a better look.

 

On the horizon was a Marine battleship.  And it was headed straight for the port.

 

* * *

 

 

“This is my fault,” Koala whispered.  “That Frosch-sensei must have reported me, and now we’re all going to pay for it!”

 

“Please,” Lami sneered.  “I doubt you’re so important as to bring –”

 

“I’m the number two of the Revolutionary Army, the Chief of Staff.”  Koala interrupted.  “We need to get you and Sabo-kun off of this ship before they notice you!”

 

“Relax,” Leif said, slumping along the railing next to them.  “This happens on the last day of every month; it’s just to make sure that everyone is still following the lies.”

 

Both girls narrowed their eyes then.

 

“Why would they need to take such measures?”  Koala asked in a deadly quiet voice.

 

“Because of the potential of these islanders.”  Leif replied, gesturing.  “Didn’t you wonder what sort of a name “silk” was, for an island?  It’s because that was our main trade, for centuries.  In fact…” His voice turned soft.  “There used to be a gift amongst some of the best tailors.  They were so in touch with the fabrics and threads they worked with, that they became stitch witches!  They could unravel or tie up your clothes just with their minds!”  He gave a bright laugh at that.

 

Lami gave him a disbelieving look.  “You’re sure that they didn’t just eat a Devil Fruit?”

 

Leif shook his head, emphatically.  “This island was a hotspot for pirates over the years.  Some needed new sails, or clothes, or food, or coin.  And if they decided to fight, then those witches would swim out to the boat, and unravel every thread within the reach of their power!”  He had a reminiscent smile as they walked back below decks, and away from the approaching Marines.  “It wasn’t uncommon for there to be more than one witch at a time, too, and many would have different levels of power.”

 

“Is that why there are so many treasures in the bay?”  Koala asked, eyes bright.  “Why is there an olde canon, though?  You couldn’t have unravelled a ship, they’re held together by nails and glue, not thread!”

 

“Canon?”  Dawn and Leif asked together, looking at each other.

 

“Well, the stitch witches weren’t the only force here, of course.”  Dawn shrugged.  “There were the herbalists, too.  Did you know that chicken droppings can be used to create an explosion?”

 

Lami pulled a disgusted face, and Koala laughed, slightly grossed out but impressed.

 

“What a cool island!”  Koala chuckled. 

 

“Eh, what about yours?”  Leif asked her cheerfully.  Koala’s smile froze.

 

“It’s nothing remarkable.” She told him in a voice that could still pass for cheerful – she had had many years practice.  “I actually haven’t been there since I was a teenager – I left to join the Revolution when I was quite young.  What about you, Lami?”

 

“It was a trade island, with an interest in higher education…”  Retying her pigtails, she asked, “So the government decided to do away with your witches and herbalists, did something to everybody’s memories, and replaced Dawn-ya with that idiot.  Why?  To what end?”

 

“Occasionally, one of those people would join a pirate crew – in fact, the last to do that joined up with the King himself.”  Dawn replied quietly.  “That person used their power on someone they shouldn’t have, and caused some extreme embarrassment – this island was lucky not to be wiped out.  At the insistence of the embarrassed person, our island was supposed to cease its existence.  But someone stayed the Government’s hand, and instead they took away a great proportion of our culture.”  Running a weary hand through her pink-streaked hair, Dawn sighed, “There are no more witches, and much of our herblore has been lost.  It is unlikely that this island will ever become as prosperous as it once was.”

 

She sighed again.  “I had thought about writing to Dragon-kun, but this is our problem – we should fix it ourselves.  However, it was our actions that got us into this mess, so I’m not really sure how we should go about it, other than attempting to reverse the positions.”

 

“You want to try and erase the memories of those Marines who are involved with your island so that they’ll leave you be?”  Koala asked with raised brows.

 

Lami snorted.  “Well, good luck to you, in that instance.”

 

“It would be easier to simply alter the memories of the highest official in charge of this whole thing,” Koala interjected.  “And have that person believe that it’s better to leave Silk Island alone.  You would then be safe to try and get everybody’s memories back, and rebuild.”

 

If Lami snorted one more time, Koala was going to start calling her a horse!!

 

“I doubt anyone on this island is capable of pulling that off,” She said with that half-sneer in place once more.  “Just because Fisher Tiger pulled it off, doesn’t mean –!”  She broke off to avoid the punch Koala had thrown.

 

  _Nobody_ disrespected Tiger-ojisan!

 

“Well, that settles it then, doesn’t it, miss?”  Leif said with a grim smile.  He glanced to his aunt quickly, and at her slight nod, he turned back to the girls.  “It’s a pleasure to meet you!  I’m Roman Leif, and I’ll be the tailor for the Blue Scribe Pirates!”

 

 


	14. Meet the Captain

“I beg your bloody pardon?”  Lami asked, with supreme restraint.

 

“I’m going to join your crew,” Leif answered cheerfully.

 

 “There’s nothing left for the boy here,” Dawn added.  “If he stays too much longer, he’ll go the same way as his mother.  Just use my name when you next see Dragon-kun – and tell the brat it wouldn’t hurt to come and visit, either.”

 

“Don’t you think you should be asking the captain first, before you make such claims?”  Koala asked weakly – what should have been a simple retrieval mission had escalated into such a mess!

 

“Boss is busy right now,” Leif said dryly, nodding towards the bunk.  “Besides, you two are here!  The number two of the ship,” he looked at Lami, and then to Koala, “and the number two of the Revolution.  How can you turn away a devilishly handsome tailor?”  His teeth flashed white against his chocolate skin, and he ruffled his dark green hair, making it look like some kind of odd birds nest.

 

Koala sighed, and tried hard not to let her lips tweak up into a grin.

 

“Idiot,” Lami hissed, brown eyes harsh.  “You’d just endanger your family!  If the Marines have such a close eye on things here, they’ll recognise you as soon as a bounty circulates!  And once that happens, I can assure you, getting their memories back won’t be anyone’s priority!”

 

Dawn and Leif were both shaking their heads. 

 

“They’ve never seen me, not properly.”  Leif answered.  “And besides, the pink in my hair?  It’s dye.  Shouldn’t take too much to get rid of it – I might even shave my whole head, that’s a sexy look these d –!”

 

“Like hell!”  The two girls snapped, bonking him over the head, whilst Dawn tried to hide her giggles in her hand.

 

Lami massaged the bridge of her nose.  “There are always uses for a tailor, but what makes you think you’d stand even a candles chance of being a pirate?”

 

“My friends will protect me,” Leif said with a winning smile.  “They help me find out all sorts of secrets, too,” He added, turning back to Koala.  “So I’d definitely be helpful to the Revolution.”

 

Lami groaned, running her gloved hand down her face.  “Look, one extra offsider is a handful enough, but we’re not bringing your friends, too!”

 

Leif pulled out the biggest set of puppy dog eyes either girl had seen in years, threw in a lip wobble, and sagged pathetically.  “B-b-but,” He whimpered.

 

Koala felt her heart melt.  Lami squashed hers down, and glowered harder.  Since he was obviously up against professionals here, Leif decided he’d better have his friends beg as well (since they were the most adorable things ever!) He put a hand up to his collar and whispered,

 

“It’s ok – they’re our new friends!”

 

. . .

 

By this point, Lami decided that there was no longer any such thing as conventional surprises so long as she sailed with that idiot!  Their new tailor’s _friends_ were _moths_!

 

* * *

 

 

“I _really_ don’t get why we have to keep checking up on Silk Island so regularly, Kuzan-san!”  The young Marine captain whined to the blue Den Den Mushi on her desk. 

 

“Jane,” He sighed.

 

“Well, yeah, I _get_ it, but why do we _still_ do it?  There’s no memory of their witches or lore-ists –

 

“Herbalists,”

 

“Whatever!  They don’t remember those gifts anymore, it’s just a tiny, backwater island in little ol’ backwater East Blue!  So why do we continue to waste valuable resources _every month_ , when we could be putting that to further use against pirates or Revolutions!”

 

“Ara ara,” her mentor sighed.  “Jane, just do your job.”

 

“Walk around and pretend to be pompous?”  Jane snorted.  “You know I hate that!  Can’t I at least kick Frosche or something if he tries to be too clingy – _again_.”

 

“No.  _~ker cha~_ ”

 

“Did you just – ?!  Oi!”  Jane thunked her head on her desk.  “Stupid Oyaji,” she grumbled.  Sitting back up again, she ran a hand through her mess of reddy-brown curls.  “Fine.  Let’s get this over with.”

 

Standing abruptly, she dusted off her dark slacks, straightened her long sleeved teal shirt and blue waistcoat, and reached for her duster.  “Coming, Kate?”  She asked the pug dozing by the window.  Opening one eye and offering a snuffle and a snort, the tiny creature shook itself and trotted after her.

 

“Captain!”  Marines snapped to attention as she strode down the hallway, coat flapping at her heels.

 

“Prepare to dock!”  She ordered.  “Restock supplies, if we need them.  I’m going to do my rounds – do not disturb me unless absolutely necessary!”  Kate added a forceful bark on the end, and followed Jane off of the ship and around the town.

 

Once Jane was confident that none of her subordinates were watching, she took off to the outskirts of the forest, Kate barking happily at her feet, finally come to a stop out front of the sole tailor shop on the island.  With a final glance to make sure that no one had seen her, Jane slipped inside, and offered the pinkette behind the counter a big smile.  “Yo!  Is your mother in, Coby-kun?”

 

“Ah, Jane-taisa!”  He snapped a prompt salute, grinning brightly.  “I’m sorry, but my mother is out looking for more silkworms with her apprentice.”

 

“Mou,” Jane pouted, leaning against the wall.  “Her apprentice is _never_ in when I come to visit!  I’ll be hurt if this keeps up!”  Walking up to Coby, she wagged her finger mock-scoldingly.  “Next month, I want to meet him!  Ah,” she held a hand up to stop Coby from talking.  “I know you’ve said his parents were both pirates, and that that’s why he avoids me, but I’m not like those Marines who hold bloodlines against someone!  The cloth he helps your mother spin is always so beautiful, and I love the clothes he makes!  I just want to thank him for his great work!”

 

Kate barked, and Jane’s cheeks went a bit pink.  “Also, I _might_ want a new jacket,” she added, twiddling her fingers together.

 

“Eh?”  Coby blinked, before he burst out laughing.  After a few moments, Jane joined him, rubbing the back of her neck in embarrassment.

 

“Coby?”

 

They both looked up then to see that his mother had returned, leaning against the doorjamb at the back of the shop, her face hidden in shadow. 

 

“Okaasan, did you find more silkworms?”  Coby asked her cheerfully.

 

“Roman-san, you’re back!”  Jane exclaimed merrily, giving a little wave.

 

“Jane, huh?”  The older woman murmured, making her way to the chair behind the counter.  “Could you… could you allow my son and I some privacy, please?  We, uh, have a lot to talk about.”  Her voice cracked on the last word, and Coby and Jane were shocked to see tear tracks on her face.

 

“Okaasan, what’s wrong?”  Coby asked, eyes wide behind his glasses.

 

“It’s Leif,” she answered in a quiet voice.  “He’s dead.”

 

 


	15. Funeral + Omake

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All of the omakes in this fic have matching pieces in fanfiction.net's Shibo26's story A Brothers Greatest Treasure. Please send all of the love to her too!

On Silk Island, there is a rather morbid custom that the citizens dig their own grave.  It is maintained and decorated as the digger wishes, changing as necessary over the course of their lifetime.  For those infants who die before they can dig for themselves, there is a grove deep within the forest where their parents or caretakers will dig for them.  The grove is always well maintained, as a tribute to the spirits of the lost children.  Similarly, the plots of ancestors are always watched over by the predecessors.

 

The grave of Roman Leif was no exception.  The plot had been dug and maintained by it’s current inhabitant since he was four years old.  Situated next to the graves of his parents and extended family, the gravestone had moths, mulberry leaves and strands of silk engraved around the edges.  Along the front, it now read _Roman Leif, Tailor’s Apprentice and Maker of Fine Things.   He now moves on to the greatest adventure._

 

The dark-skinned boy, with his wild green hair and bright smile, had been a familiar sight around the village edges, as he rarely entered the townmain for anything other than deliveries of cloth or commissions, or pestering the bakery for sweets.  No one had expected the boy to fall in the forest that he’d practically grown up in, searching for silkworms with his master and aunt, the tailor.  And even if someone had expected him to fall, they certainly hadn’t expected him to break his neck.  They certainly didn’t expect to watch as he was lowered into his coffin by his aunt and cousin, as his coffin was carried from their house to the Roman Family grove, and then see young Coby, tears running down his face, begin to bury the grave.

 

As they had always done, the islanders who had known him best came forward to place a single flower that they felt described Leif best upon the newly turned earth.  Chrysanthemums for cheerfulness, crocuses for youthful gladness, daisies for innocence, and rue for remembrance were of the most abundance.

 

Once the plants had been laid, people started to drift away, until it was only the Roman’s left – and the Marine Captain.

 

“I’m so sorry for your loss,” Jane whispered, holding Kate closely.  “If you like, I’ll stay a few days more, and help around the shop?”

 

“We appreciate your offer,” Dawn said quietly.  “But we’ll be fine.  I’m sure your superiors have another job for you to do.”

 

“That’s true, Roman-san.”  The young woman replied.  “Apparently some sort of scuffle happened in Cocoyashi Village, on an island to the west of here…”

 

“Then that is where you are needed.”  Dawn told her firmly.  “Now if you don’t mind, we have a vigil to keep.  We will see you off at Sunrise.”

 

Jane nodded once, and left after giving Coby a tight hug.  With tears in her eyes, Jane joined back up with her subordinates at the forest edge – she had been the only one allowed to attend the funeral.  “Make ready the ship,” she ordered quietly.  “We leave at first light for Cocoyashi.”

 

* * *

 

_Three days earlier_

 

“So how exactly are you going to leave without people wondering what happened?”  Koala asked Leif after she and Lami had accepted that yes, they couldn’t get rid of him, he _was_ coming with them.

 

“I’ll fake my death, of course!”  He answered cheerfully.  The Scribes facefaulted.

 

“That’s hardly an easy thing to do!”  Lami scolded.  “Those Marines will certainly get suspicious, if nothing else!”

 

“Just leave it to us,” Dawn told them firmly.   “Also, stay aboard as long as you can.  We don’t want the Marines to see you, if you’re as wanted as you say.”

 

Leaving the ship quickly and carefully, Dawn and Leif snuck back to the forest, heading deeper and deeper until they came to their secret Silkworm grove.  Sighing, both leant against the trunks of neighbouring mulberry trees.  The few moths around fluttered closer, many swarming over Leif, saying hello.

 

“You’re sure you’re ok with this, Auntie?”  He whispered, petting his friends gently.

 

She sighed and closed her eyes.  “You can’t stay here.  Dusk would never forgive me, either…  Leif, both of your parents were pirates.  The sea is just as much in your blood as the cloth you spin.  Until we can throw away the shackles the Marines have placed upon us, this island has no room left for a stitch witch.  You must leave.”

 

“That’s not what I asked,” her nephew replied quietly from behind his moths.

 

“I’ll send supplies to Dragon-kun’s brats – you know that you won’t be able to take anything with you?  Coby would question that your possessions had disappeared along with that ship.”

 

Leif tried to give her his trademark smile.  “Don’t underestimate my abilities as a tailor – I can easily remake my clothes!”

 

Dawn sighed, before reaching into the hollow beneath the tree she’d been leaning against, and pulling out a vial.  “Alright then.  Let’s go – I’ve had the Draught ready for some time now.  We just need to set the scene – let’s go a little closer to the edge.  I don’t want everyone to know where the silkworms flourish.  When we get to the right spot, I want you to climb a tall tree, and then make it look as though you’ve fallen.  I’ll take it from there.”

 

“Alright, Auntie!  Let’s do it!”

 

* * *

 

 

_Present time_

 

Sabo groaned, opening his eyes blearily.  How long had he…?

 

“Sabo-kun!”

 

“Captain-ya?”

 

“Oh, Koala, Lami… did I miss dinner?”

 

“You idiot!”  Lami snapped, flicking his forehead.  “You’ve been unconscious for five days running a fever!  All we’ve been able to get into you was soup and some tea.”

 

Sabo’s eyes widened in a panic, and his face drained of colour.  “I haven’t eaten properly in that long?!  Ow!”

 

Seething, Lami stood.  “I’m going to the galley – I need coffee.  Or something stronger.”

 

“There’s only medicinal spirits,” Koala called after her.  Lami’s muttered curses drifted back in through the open door.

 

Koala turned back to Sabo and gave him a glare.  “What a reckless character, making us worry like that!  You should count yourself lucky that I haven’t had the chance to contact Dragon-san yet!” 

 

Sabo pouted.  “It’s not as if I set out to get eaten by a fishman,” he grumbled.

 

“I thought that you were setting out to join the Revolution – what’s this about being a pirate?”  Although the only women he’d had contact with since his “death” were Dadan and Makino-san, Sabo knew that it was _never_ a good idea to have a woman angry at you.  Dadan had always been easy to avoid (and she was always pissed at them anyway, so it didn’t really matter), but the one time Makino-san had gotten mad at the boys (he and Ace had accidentally broken the bar as well as some pictures on the wall), it had been _terrible_.

 

Lesson learnt – _never let a woman become angry with you_.

 

Raising his hands weakly Sabo gave her a small smile.  “I just want to be free – can’t I be both?  Dragon-san thought it was a good idea.”

 

Koala had a tick by her eye.  “Had you thought he may have been humouring you, as a child with foolish dreams?”

 

Sabo cocked his head to the side.  “I sent him a letter by a News Coo bird a fortnight ago and he seemed fine with it.  I’m seventeen, that’s hardly a child!”

 

Lami came back in then with two mugs of coffee for herself and Koala, and a cup of tea and honey for Sabo.  “Forgive us for our confusion,” she said sarcastically.  “But with that recklessness of yours, you certainly seem like a child to me!”

 

Leaning against the wall, Koala shook her head at him, a small smile at the edge of her lips.  “We found a new crewmate whilst you were snoozing – a tailor.  Apparently, he should be along s –”

 

She broke off to look at the corner of the room, reaching for Senzo no chi, only to pause in confusion. 

 

“A plant?”  Koala whispered, standing from her chair too.

 

Together the Scribes watched in confusions as the small plant popped out of the planks and grew quickly, morphing along the way from something that looked vaguely like a thistle to reveal Leif, still clad in the dirtied clothes he’d been buried in, moths fluttering out of his hair and clothes.

 

“Ah, Boss, nice ta meet ya!”  He smiled brightly at Sabo.  “I’m Roman Leif, your new tailor!”

 

Sabo laughed.  “What an interesting guy!  What are you looking for?”

 

“Freedom, of course.”

 

“Naturally, pirates are free.  Anything else?”

 

“I want to change the world – I don’t want people to be hated for something that they can do, or for who their parents are.”

 

Attempting to sit up, Sabo held his hand out to Leif.  “Well, you’re certainly on the right boat!  Welcome aboard!”

 

* * *

* * *

 

**Did you all enjoy the last omake?  Because here’s another!**

 

To say that Lami was pissed _might_ be an understatement.  Her detention partner/science partner/ arch rival, Monkey D Leo, had forgotten her half of the assignment in detention after an allergic reaction to something that idiot Kidd had offered her (and really, by thirteen she _should_ realise what her allergies were!) had sent her to the Nurse’s office.  Just because she was an idiot did _not_ mean she could get out of the assignment!  Naturally, Lami remembered her home address from when Leo had used it to prove a point at the beginning of their joint detentions.

 

How hard could it be, navigating the Grey Terminal?

 

So straight after kendo practice, Lami had made her way over to Leo’s place.  She wasn’t in any rush – Cora-san had texted both Law and herself earlier to let them know their curfew had been extended, which was code for _Doffy is visiting, and I don’t want you to see this_.  If she was lucky, Leo’s brother Sabo, Law-nii’s friend, would make small talk or tell her a story.  Or, even better, Leo might unbend her pride enough to ask Lami to stay a while and continue where they left off with their assignment. (Lami knew by now that Leo wasn’t as fluent with her letters as she should be, so Lami, in her own special, taciturn way, had been offering help and advice, hidden and barbed with insults.)  And if Lami was _really_ lucky, someone might invite her for dinner. 

 

She’d already told Law-nii this when he’d dropped her off at practice, and she could only hope that he’d find somewhere safe to stay, too.

 

Feeling her pocket vibrate, Lami frowned when she read the message from her beloved uncle. 

 

**_You forgot your overnight bag, so Law will bring it round to Monkey-san’s.  Have a good sleepover!_ **

 

Lami’s fists clenched.  Doffy had decided to stay the night – or, perhaps worse, he’d done something to Cora-san, and Cora and Law didn’t want her to see.  She hated this!!  Always being protected all the time… she wanted to protect them too!

 

All things considered, though, Lami _probably_ shouldn’t have been so distracted in a place such as the Gray Terminal, because it was at this time that she was jumped by a group of punks – by the crest on their clothing, they were with Buggy’s gang.   

 

Lashing out with her wooden bokken, Lami tried to defend herself to the best of her abilities.  Unfortunately, even though she was an accomplished member of her dojo, with a string of victories under her belt, she couldn’t fight that many thugs at once.  Eventually, they started to get in under her guard and land hits of their own.  Though she would never admit it, Lami started to worry – she was just a kid!

 

“Oi!”  A familiar voice rang out.  “Piss off!” 

 

A munchkin holding, of all things, a warhammer, had appeared in front of them, and within seconds, Lami’s assailants had fled with screeches of, “It’s Flash Hammer!  Run!”

 

“Hey there, are you o – _Lami_?!”

 

Pulling herself upright and swiping at the blood on her lips, Lami attempted a glare.  “I didn’t know that your prescriptions were failing already, didn’t you just get them checked?”

 

“Oi, that’s no way to talk to your rescuer, bastard!”

 

“Whatever.  You forgot your half of the assignment in detention, so I brought it with me.  Where’s your place, and we can continue where we left off.”

 

“…. Eh?”

 

Twenty minutes later, and Lami was trying her damnedest not to react to the fact that she was sitting in the hideout of _the_ Dadan family!  Although, it _did_ explain a lot about Leo and her brothers…

 

It didn’t take long to convince everyone to let her stay for the night and help Leo with her homework – Curly Dadan herself had been all over the idea like a rash, something about keeping “Garp” off of her back about “your shitty marks, you shitty brats!”

 

Later, though, Sabo’d had a half-knowing look in his eye when he whispered to her over the dishes that Law had shoved her overnight bag in through the window of the kid’s bedroom.  Lami _really_ hoped he didn’t try to dig into it any further – Doffy was _their_ problem, they could deal with it on their own!

 

Although… although, it had been nice, having a sleepover with Leo.  She’d strung a sheet up across a piece of rope in the room she shared with her brothers, so that she and Lami could do their work, and later sleep, without too many disturbances.  And, it had felt _good_ , teaching someone these things whose understanding came so easily to Lami…

 

If only she didn’t have to see Doffy, ever again.

 

 


	16. Goodbye Silk

“I don’t suppose you’d like to share how you managed such an entrance?”  Lami sniped, leaning back against the wall and returning to her coffee.

 

Leif gave that blinding smile again.  “Isn’t Auntie Dawn amazing?  She’s the strongest Herbalist on the island, so transporting a person by the flower tunnels is easy for her!”

 

“Herbalist?”  Sabo asked, confused.

 

Leif laughed, and launched into an explanation about his island, and those who had been gifted as either a stitch witch or Herbalist.  Lami, sensing the Marine’s ship leaving, decided to go and get some fresh air.  Really, she knew that she should be back down there, listening to Leif explain his abilities further and thinking about how best to utilise him against Doflamingo, only… she was kind of sick of it.  All she wanted to do right now was drink until she could forget that horrible day, and then sleep for a week.  Of course, it wasn’t going to happen, considering the state of her kidneys and her insomnia, but right now Lami didn’t particularly care – she was in a foul mood, and was eleven years overdue a break.

 

After another few minutes spent breathing in the crisp sea breeze, Lami went back belowdecks, looking for the supplies Dawn had delivered over the last few days and cataloguing, to herself, all of those that could be used in medical tinctures.  Feeling a sharp pain beneath her gloves, Lami realised that all of her previous medications had been either left in North Blue with Kuma ( _not_ on purpose, mind you) or had sunk to the bottom of the ocean when Bob ate – I mean, attacked Sabo’s previous vessel.  Riffling back through the supplies, she pulled out what she would need, and set to work attempting to hold back the effects of the Amber Lead Disease.

 

* * *

 

 

“So you can really tie someone up with their clothes?”  Sabo asked Leif excitedly, watching as the darker boy started to do a bobble-head impression.

 

“I haven’t _quite_ figured out how to unwrap a person yet, though.” Leif added, sweatdropping.  “So I can’t really give you a demonstration.”

 

“That’s ok,” Sabo replied easily.  “But I have to ask, what’s with the moths?”

 

Leif’s electric grin was back.  “These are my friends!  When they were caterpillars, they spun silk threads that I collected to use in my weavings, and now they’re getting ready to lay their own eggs.  That’s why Auntie Dawn brought a mulberry tree in with the supplies – it’s their source of food.  They’ve all come to help look after me – they’re really good at scouting, too.  Humans don’t pay any attention to bugs, so my friends can tell me who is where, and what secrets they’re talking about.”

 

“Eh, those _are_ handy friends!”  Sabo exclaimed, before looking puzzled.  “But I thought silkworm moths no longer had the ability to fly?”

 

Leif’s smile dropped.  “In parts of the world where humans have bred them and bred them for their silk only, that’s true; but not on this island.  We live _with_ the moths and worms, and they look after us.  It doesn’t matter if the emerging moth ends up causing the cocoon to break apart, because a stitch witch can just join them together again.  That being said though, only so many from a clutch can realistically be allowed to survive, otherwise there wouldn’t be enough food for everybody, even with an island as big as Silk; so sometimes I have to boil some of the cocoons shortly after they’ve been spun, so that my friends don’t suffer, and so that I don’t have to stitch too many fibres together.  I don’t like to do it, though.” 

 

Sabo nodded his understanding, and Koala continued to eye the creatures with distrust from behind the rim of her coffee mug.

 

“How capable are you in a fight?”  She piped up.  “Dragon-san will ask you that, too.” 

 

Leif shrugged his skinny shoulders.  “I can hold my own in a punch up, but I rely on tricks and camouflage and being quicker than whoever is trying to get one over me.”

 

“That’s ok, we can work on that,” Koala replied reassuringly.  “It’s a bit of a trip from East Blue to Baltigo, so we’ll have plenty of chances for practice.”

 

“You had better practice,” Dawn’s soft voice came from the hallway, just as the woman herself stepped into Sabo’s cabin.

 

“Auntie?”  Leif looked thoroughly confused, though he still moved forward quickly to hug her.  “What are you doing here?”

 

“Koala-chan, please set sail tomorrow.”  Dawn said firmly instead.  “The others will be less suspicious now, and with your captain awake and on the mend, I imagine that Dragon-kun will be looking for you soon.”  She turned back to her nephew.  “You behave, alright?  I’ll keep an eye out for your bounty, but try not to let the picture be too obviously _you_ , ok?  Coby might –”

 

“I know,” Leif interrupted gently.  “He still wants to be a Marine – I get it.  But hopefully he’ll stay in East Blue, and he’ll never need to know that I faked my death to become a pirate.”

 

**(AN – yes, this is going to fail as spectacularly as it sounds.  Feel free to speculate in reviews ;D )**

 

Dawn nodded once, before lifting a gold pendant from around her neck, and placing it over Leif’s head.  “Take this with you, though.  It belonged to your mother.”  Suddenly drawing him into a tight hug, she whispered _be careful_ , before saying it again to the whole crew, wishing them luck on their travels, and quickly taking her leave again, before any of the other villagers could see her aboard.      

 

“That didn’t seem very in character of her,” Lami murmured from the doorway, tucking a small bag down the front of her dress.

 

Lifting his new pendant slightly, Leif frowned in concentration.  “This is really hard for her.  Her own parents died when she and my mother were teenagers, my parents died twelve years ago, and her husband in the last ten.  And now I’m off too, and she doesn’t even have the reassurance of an occupied grave, just an empty headstone…”  Cracking open the locket, Leif gazed down at the two pictures; one was obviously Dawn and her blonde husband, with pinkette baby Coby held between them.  The other was a woman identical to Dawn except for a scar across the bridge of her nose, a dark skinned, green haired man by her side, and a mini-carbon-copy toddler on her hip.

 

His mother, Roman Dusk, and his father, Ivan of the Black Oak Pirates.

 

Auntie Dawn had said that Leif looked like his dad more than his mum, but Leif had never been aware of just how _exactly_ like his old man he appeared… hopefully there weren’t any wanted posters still lingering around…  That could be awkward.

 

* * *

 

 

“What do you _mean_ , they don’t need us at Cocoyashi anymore?!”  Jane roared to her communications officer, the crew gathered on deck for training.

 

The poor man flinched, sweating bullets.  “E- exactly as it sounds, Taisa.  The district officers contacted us this morning to say that our involvement was unnecessary.”

 

“I did not just leave my friends after a _funeral_ for a false alarm!”  The young woman shouted, colour high in her sharp cheeks.  “Get that Nezumi on the line, I have some choice words for him!”

 

Her second in command cleared his throat.  Aged and battlescarred, Corin had been assigned “under” Jane as a bit of a slack in his duties before his retirement.  “Taisa.  As Marines, our duty must come first.”

 

Amber eyes narrowed dangerously, Jane hissed, “I am _well aware_ , sir!  But our duty is the protection of the people, and those people needed a healing hand – that boy didn’t deserve to die so young!  His poor master…!”  She grit her teeth, and turned on her heel.  “Fine.  Change our heading for Head Quarters.  I don’t want to see anyone for at least an hour – I’m going to catch up on some paperwork.”

 

“I’ve never heard her sound so bitter,” the Comms officer said sadly.

 

“Return to your post,” Corin snarled.  “The rest of you, continue with form eight!”

 

The marines all fled back to their previous positions, leaving only Corin and the Cook, who started to walk back to the kitchens.

 

“There is no place for such a green woman on these seas,” Cookie sneered softly.  “The lass is too proper – she wouldn’t know what to do with a bribe if it bit her.  You’re sharing?”

 

“Aye, I’ll shout ya a drink at the next port.” Corin said easily.  “Don’t you be caught saying that too loudly, ya hear?  Too many of these soft hearted fools _like_ the wench.”

 

Cookie snorted.  “Even though all know she’s cryin’ to that thrice-cursed mutt of hers – what’s she even bring it for?  It doesn’t _do_ anything!”

 

Corin sneered.  “She claims it’s her _secret weapon_.  Ha!  It’s a joke!  This next generation of Marines – how did such a brat end up studying under Aokiji, anyway?”

 

“I hear she was the top of her class,” Cookie added, disgusted.  “I might just join you in retirement when they take over!  Have you _met_ the White Chase?”

 

The two continued down the halls, oblivious of the small woman hiding in the cleaning cupboard with her pug clutched tightly to her chest and catching every word from _soft hearted fools_. 

 

“We’ll show them, Kate!”  She swore quietly.  “We’ll show them!  I _earnt_ my position!”  Her lips tremble.  “You and me, we’re going to get stronger and stronger, so that we can protect the people of all the Blues!  On my pride as a Marine, I swear it!”

 


	17. And Thus they set sail

Now numbering four, the Blue Scribes set sail at dawn the next morning, retreating out with the tide, and each member deep in thought. 

 

Koala, at the wheel, was worried about Dragon-san’s reaction to her late absence, and how the other Revolutionaries would respond to the ragtag group she was returning with.  Even though she had more than earned her position of Chief of Staff, and at such an age, there were still some members who were unwilling to follow her.  After all, Koala was an anomaly: she had been a slave, was a human who practiced Fishman Karate, eighteen and already the second in command of one of the largest organisations in their World.  There were already whispers that she was incapable, and arriving weeks later than she was due with her charge chattering about being a _pirate_ , plus two others, would _not_ go down well, she could feel it already.

 

* * *

 

Sitting in the crowsnest with his friends and glancing from the horizon to his pendant every few minutes, Leif felt both elated and crushed.  It was a lot to take in, this new freedom.  Of course, he’d still have to be careful that no photographers caught him face-on, and he still had to remove the shock of pink fringe that danced in the westerly breeze, but for all intents and purposes?  It didn’t matter as much that he remain inconspicuous to the average citizen, so long as he wasn’t caught out doing something he wasn’t supposed to.  But now he was free to learn _just_ what he, as a Stitch Witch, was capable of!  In a little bit he’d pull out his drop spindle and start spinning some of the silk strands together to make thicker threads, and at some point in the future, he’d try and find his shuttle board so that he could start to create fabrics again – by the looks of things, everybody needed new clothing, so it was a good thing he’d already brought some material along!  He’d take everybody’s measurements later in the day, and then ask what clothes they’d like drawn up, as well.

 

* * *

 

Still confined to his bed, Sabo could safely say that he was _not_ enjoying the experience.  He’d woken as early as the others so that he could help stow anchor, only for Lami to threaten to sedate him for another five days if he even tried.  So now he was attempting to read one of the books Koala had on board, and even though he’d _normally_ be zooming through the pages, trying to absorb as much information on navigation as he could, just in case, today he just wasn’t in the mood.  So far, he wasn’t doing a particularly bang up job as a captain.  He’d been at sea for barely a week and a half, and in that time, he’d been bitten nearly clean in half by a Fishman, and remained unconscious and delirious for the better part of six days.  What would his brothers say about that?  Well, once they’d finished laughing over his forced bedrest, anyway…

 

He decided.  He _had_ to get stronger!  Ace hadn’t had anything like this happen to him, and he’d been at sea for two months!  Sabo decided that he’d leave out the details of his “match” against Arlong in his next letters to his brothers.  When they meet in the Grand Line, Ace surely wouldn’t take him seriously, now would he?  Sabo would be the invalid again, the brother who needed to be protected, even more so than cry baby Luffy.  As soon as Lami would let him out of his bed, he had to start training again!!

 

Meanwhile, Lami was concerned as to how Roman Dawn had known to give her the herbs that she had – the missing ingredients that were fundamental in the medication that would help slow down the Amber Lead that still ran rampart through her veins (at least until she could find her big brother).  It was bad enough that she had twice been pegged as a survivor of Flevance in this backwater Blue, but for someone to have realised that she was still cursed, and to even _know_ how to stave off the poison…?  Leif’s aunt was certainly an interesting person, Lami gave her that.

 

Of course, it still begged the question as to _how_ Dawn knew the ingredients Lami needed.  Everybody believed that Amber Lead was an epidemic rather than a poisoning, and her father had been the only one who had managed to come even close to a cure – and that was only because of her brother.  Thanks to the Ope Ope no Mi, Law had been able to cut the disease from the victim’s body, leaving the Lead traces in the capable hands of their father and his doctors to search for a cure.  Lami had been six when the disease took her and her brother discovered just _what_ he could do with his fruit, and eight when they had created the deterrent that now prolonged her life.  Although…

 

Gritting her teeth, Lami slipped the sleeve of her left glove down around her wrist, staring at the white spots that littered her once-swarthy skin in disgust, and then yanking the blue cloth back past her elbow once again.  How much longer did she have, with the medication’s aid?  Months?  Years?  Ye gods, would she even find Law before then?!  No, no, she couldn’t think like that.  Lami was a nurse, a trained medical professional, she couldn’t lose her cool like that.  Even though she’d long given up on the notion of any gods (after what happened to her island, she had found it difficult to continue to share the Sister’s faith), Lami still had to believe that she would find her brother before Doflamingo, that he could finish healing her before…

 

Shoving such thoughts to the back of her mind, Lami pulled out the ingredients she’d need and a pestle and mortar, and started working on her pills. 

 

* * *

 

 

 _“… And once you’ve crushed everything, like_ so _, you mix it – like this – and place it into these capsules to set.  Does that make sense, Lami?”_

_“Yes, Tou-sama!”_

_“Well done!  Now, Papa has to go back to work, will you be ok here?  Are you sure you don’t want to go sit with your brother instead?”_

_Eight year old Lami shook her head firmly.  “Corazon-ya is my patient, Tou-sama; I have to make sure he doesn’t have a concussion when he wakes up!  Nii-sama will be ok for the rest of today, and I’ll sit with him tomorrow, ok?”_

_Her father chuckled.  “As you want, little one.  If you need me, I’ll be in the lab improving the medication, but for the moment, just follow those instructions in my research notes, alright?”_

_“Yes, Tou-sama!  Good luck with the research!”_


	18. Flashback + Chat + Omake

_Even though there was a national pandemic happening, and Law was the only one who could cure it, he was still a child; there was only so much he could do, and for so long.  As such, his little sister had curtained off two hours of the day that were just for Law.  He used this time to take his lunch, and then he and Lami would go down to the beach and discuss theories, or he would have a quick snooze whilst she hummed songs she learnt in class._

_Today was no different to any other day, except that they were being a little more careful – pirates had pulled into the harbour the night before, and had been asking questions about the person with the Ope Ope no Mi.  It was a good thing that Lami took after their mother, and had such a strong Observation Haki._

_“Tou-sama says that he’s been able to develop a medicine that helps to slow down the effects of the disease,” Lami said conversationally, halfway down “their” beach.  “He says that working with the specimens that you cut out of everyone has been really helpful – he’s going to show me how to make it when we get back.”_

_“That’s amazing, Lami!”  Law cheered.  “See, when we take over the hospital, you’re going to be the best headnurse!”_

_“Mm!”  Lami positively glowed from the praise of her precious big brother.  “Ara?  Nii-sama, there’s someone on the pier…  He feels kinda weird….” She mumbled, taking a hold of Law’s hand.  “I think he has a Devil Fruit too!” She whispered sharply, hand tightening.  The siblings snuck further up the beach and ducked behind a rocky outcrop, and watched the strange person who was standing out on the old pier.  The person was very tall, taller than their father by a good couple of feet, and wore a mantle of dark feathers.  Judging by the outline, it was most likely a man, and he seemed to be using a Den Den Mushi to talk to someone._

_“We should go back to Tou-sama and Kaa-sama,” Law murmured.  “If that’s one of the pirates, we don’t want to be asked any questions.”_

_Lami nodded and began to move away, only for both siblings to start when it appeared that the man had tripped or slipped on the jetty, and had fallen into the ocean._

_“Nii-sama, ready your power!”  Lami called, dashing over to the point of the jetty where the strange man had submerged, casting off her shoes and backpack as she ran._

_“Lami, wait –!”_

_*splash!* Lami dived quickly, using her Haki to locate the strange man, and, using all of her strength (and at eight years old, it wasn’t much) to try and drag the man’s dead-weight back to the surface.  Gasping down gulps of fresh air once both their heads broke the waves, she shouted, “Nii-sama, now!  Before anyone comes!”_

_“Room!”  Law’s voice carried across the water, and before Lami knew it, she and the strange man had swapped places with two of the rocks from the outcropping.  Law raced back to her, carrying her shoes and backpack, and started trying to call out what to do._

_“Nii-sama, please,” Lami scolded as she helped the strange man expel water from his lungs.  “Have some faith in your assistant!  I know how to look after a Devil Fruit User fresh out of the water!”  She gave him a steady look then, which made her brother go red – even though he’d had his Devil Fruit for almost four years now, sometimes he still forgot, and would jump into the pool or waterhole or sea without thinking; Lami always was there to rescue him._

_The strange man sat up a bit then, and gave them both odd looks.  “Are you ok?”  Lami asked, concerned.  “You weren’t under the water for too long, but I’ve read that different Fruit Users react differently to the ocean.”_

_The man’s eyes widened at that statement._

_“Oi, Imouto, we should get you back and dried off before you catch cold.” Law murmured protectively, handing her back her shoes and backpack.  He eyed the stranger, and declared, “So long as you don’t do anything pirate-y, you can come to the hospital with us.  If you stay in this wind for too much longer, as wet as you are, you’ll catch something.”_

_The man nodded in acknowledgement, and went to stand, only to trip over his own feet._

_Lami tried to hide her giggles.  “Is it because of the seawater?  Or are you just really clumsy?”  She asked innocently, taking a hold of her brother’s hand again._

_The man only shrugged, which had Lami pouting.  “You can talk to us, you know!  We won’t hurt you, we’re doctors!  Well, Nii-sama is.”_

_The strange man’s eyes widened impossibly at that.  Lami laughed again.  “I’m Lami, and my brother is called Law – what’s your name?”_

_“Oi, Lami!” Law hissed, tugging at her arm._

_Lami pulled a face at him.  “Sister says that “if you show someone kindness, then they should only reply in kind”.  Are you going to go against a nun, Nii-sama?”_

_“He’s a pirate.”_

_Lami poked her tongue out, and turned back to the stranger.  “So, Mr Pirate, what’s your name?  Huh?”  She turned her head back to face the town again.  “More people…?”_

_“Corazon!”  A dark-haired girl about the same age as Law was running down the beach with a rotund boy with a weird face close behind.  “Did you get lost?”  The girl pulled to a stop in front of them, panting and smiling._

_“Eh, why are you all wet, dasuyun?”  The weird-looking boy asked._

_“Did you fall in the ocean?”  The girl asked brightly, before bursting into giggles._

_“Corazon?” Lami murmured curiously as she glanced up at the strange pirate, only to have Law shush her._

_“Corazon-ya tripped and fell into the sea, and knocked himself out on one of the rocks by the pier,” Law lied easily, walking away briskly.  “My sister is a stronger swimmer than me, so she rescued him.  He needs to dry off soon though, or he’ll catch cold.”_

_“Hey, wait!”  The girl cried.  “Who do you think you are, ordering pirates?”_

_“I’m a doctor!”  Law called back, tugging a confused Lami behind him.  “Go dry him off!”_

 

* * *

 

 

Lami jerked awake, fumbling for her glasses on her desk, and watching, confused, as a blanket tumbled off her shoulders.  Blinking away sleep and retrieving her cap from the floor, Lami looked around the room she’d claimed as hers, all of the herbs and medicines she’d been working with neatly packed away, and the pills she’d created yesterday and last night stacked neatly along the top of her desk.

 

Lami did _not_ remember doing any of that before falling asleep at the desk.

 

Looking out the porthole showed it to be still morning – and that meant Sabo would be trying to do something stupid, like train, the arsehole.  Seriously, couldn’t she leave him alone for five minutes?!

 

“Captain-ya!”  Lami shouted, stalking down the hall and coming out on the deck, where a guilty-looking Sabo was locked in a frozen wrestling match with Leif.  “What did I say about training?”  


Sabo and Leif sprung apart from each other, both looking pale and terrified. 

 

“You would think,” Lami continued, moving forward and tapping Senzo no Chi against her shoulder, “that after narrowly avoiding being _bifurcated_ by the highest bounty in this backwater Blue, being unconscious for five days straight with a fever and suffering from a mild poison-induced seizure, you would be a bit more careful in your recovery.  Actually, if you look at it from my point of view, it’s pretty selfish of you, really.  I put _all_ that effort into keeping you alive…”  She trailed off, standing in front of both boys with her sword in one hand and the other fisted on her hip, eyebrow raised.

 

Both boys bowed their heads, shamefaced and just a little bit cowed.  Lami was _scary_!

 

“Hey, Lami-san!”  Koala called suddenly, directing those sharp gold/brown eyes away from the Captain and tailor.  “I saved you some breakfast!”

 

Taking advantage of the distraction, Sabo and Leif fled back below decks, leaving Lami and her temper in Koala’s capable hands.

 

“How’re you holding up?”  Koala asked lightly when the first mate joined her in the galley, pushing a plate of scrambled eggs, bacon and veggies on toast forwards.

 

Lami raised an eyebrow, and pushed the toast back with half a sneer, tucking into the eggy mess.  “As the doctor, shouldn’t I be asking you that?”

 

Koala _laughed_ , and Lami decided to read up on psychology texts first chance she got – obviously, the chance of sanity in this crew was limited to herself.

 

“You’re the one who was electrocuted last week, and you’ve barely slept over the last few days, trying to keep an eye on Sabo-kun.  Besides, you’re about as happy with his whole “Revolutionary Pirates” idea as I am, right?”

 

Lami snorted, and took another forkful of scrambled eggmix.  “I don’t really want to be either, honestly.  I just want to get to the Grand Line.”

 

Koala had snagged her unwanted piece of toast – glorified bread, Nii-sama used to call it – and was munching at it unhappily.  “So… do you want to be a Marine, then?  And you just haven’t told him?”

 

Lami choked on her mouthful.  “Is everybody on this ship an idiot?”  She snapped.  “Why on earth would I want to be a Marine?  At least pirates are honest in their dishonesty.”  Her voice was bitter.

 

Koala was quiet for a moment, drawing patterns on the galley table with a fingertip and polishing off the last of the toast.  “Did something hap –”

 

“Let’s make a deal,” Lami overrode her, voice harsh.  “You don’t ask about my past, and outside of medical necessity, I won’t ask about yours, either.  Ok?”

 

Koala blinked at the sudden change in Lami’s character, but nodded anyway.

 

“Good,” Lami sneered, picking up her finished plate and moving towards what was left of the washing water at the sink.

 

Before Lami could stalk off to track down Sabo and demand to give him a check over, though, Koala spoke up quickly.  “We’re a crew now, like it or not.  You don’t have to hate us – you can talk to any of us, when you feel like it.”

 

Lami paused in the doorjamb, back to Koala.  “I like my privacy.”

 

“I do too,” Koala said plainly, standing slowly.  “Still, the offer stands.  If you’re looking for the boys, they’re probably in Leif-kun’s room spinning threads – Sabo-kun seemed really interested about it all.”

 

“Good for him.”  Lami replied, closing the door behind her softly.  _No_ , she thought.  _Doesn’t matter what Navigator-ya says… None of them need to know about what happened.  They just need to get me to Dressrosa._

 

“Hey!”  Leif’s voice startled her from her thoughts.  “Land ahoy!  Look, it’s another island!  Heeey, Koala-san!  Hey, miss, what’s that island, ay?”

 

Koala had rushed topside when she’d first heard Leif’s shout, and after checking over the map, she called out cheerfully, “That’s Templar Island!  There’s a monastery and a handful of small villages and not much else, but they should have communication equipment, so hopefully I’ll be able to talk to Dragon-san that way!”

 

Sabo’s laugh came from the crowsnest.  “Let’s go then!”  He cheered.  “On to the next adventure!”

                                                                                                                                                                         

* * *

* * *

**If you haven’t read** _A Brothers Greatest Treasure_ **by Shibo26, please go and check it out and give neechan lots of review cuddles!**

  

It had been too quiet. The first day had been some cross between bliss and confusion - Leo wagging wasn't entirely new, however it was usually following some street fight she'd been involved in. The second day, she noticed that Ace hadn't come to come to school, either. The third day, Law-nii commented that it'd been some time since Sabo had missed so much school. It was the fourth day that Lami made up her mind (ok, a black and blue Niichan had shoved her emergency pack into her arms during lunch break and told her to skip kendo and crash at Leo's).  


By this point in stage, the thugs of the Grey Terminal had accepted that Trafalgar Lami was under Dadan's protection, so she found no grief as she walked the, surprisingly quiet, streets, her backpack and overnight bag over either shoulder, her bokken tapping agitatedly against the left one. Something did _not_ feel right, and the feeling only increased when she came in sight of the 'hideout' and saw Ace sitting out on the back step, head on knees. Quickening her pace, Lami called out to him, and was shocked when Ace raised his blotchy face, tear tracks passing between freckles on a too-pale face.  
  
Scrubbing harshly with his sleeve, his reply was hoarse. "What do you want, Lami? We're not some 'live like the poor' retreat, you know!" 

 

Lami controlled the urge to smack him with her bokken.  
  


"Where's Leo-ya." It wasn't a question.  
  


Ace's face crumpled, and that was all the motivation Lami needed; dropping her school port and bokken inside the front door as she raced to the siblings shared room, Lami skidded to a stop when she found Sabo, Dadan and Mogra crouched around Leo's side of the mattress, Dogra keeping a highly distressed Luffy on the other side of the small room. That wasn't what froze her legs in place. 

 

It was the white, discoloured blotches that raced up and down a gasping Leo's face and arms.  
  


Images of her parents flashed before Lami's eyes before she squashed them back into the tiny little corner of her heart where her hatred of Doflamingo festered. Clenching her fists, and ignoring whatever the hell Dadan had started yelling, Lami stepped forward quickly, and demanded in her coldest voice, "How the hell did she get Amber Lead poisoning? What shit did she do to piss off the Donquixote family?"  
  


Sabo jerked from his spot at Leo's head, wetcloth held in a hand that shook with worry. "We've never - you know what's making her sick? How?"  
  


Lami's eyes were hooded. "Didn't you ever wonder, Sabo-ya, why Law-nii and I don't live with our parents?" Crouching down next to Leo, she quickly stripped the sheets, revealing more of the horrible blotches. Opening her pack she pulled out her (customised) first aid kit and began to take her friend's temperature. "When did the first symptoms start?"  
  


"She had a headache the last morning she went to school," Luffy piped up, voice thick. "It got worse and worse, and when we were halfway home, she just collapsed!"  
  


"She had trouble breathing, and a high fever." Sabo added. "The blotches appeared late in the afternoon of the second day."  
  


Lami nodded, making a mental note of Leo's temperature. "That would make the date of infection last Monday... but that can't be right, I was with her all day! I didn't see..." She closed her eyes and banished the worry, once more. Taking a hold of Leo's wrist, she measured her heart rate, and gritted her teeth. "Why didn't you take her to a hospital?" She demanded quietly, voice fierce.  
  


"Because they'd take her away." Ace's voice came from the doorway. "Don't you get it? The only blood she shares with any of us is Luffy, and that's only through their dad. Dadan's mafia; I'm in a gang, and Sabo's affiliated with the revolution." This was news to Lami, though she'd had her suspicions regarding both of the elder brothers. "All they would see is a tiny little girl in an unhealthy environment, and it wouldn't take much for them to take her far, far away from us, where we'd never get to see each other, ever!"  
  


"Is her dying really more preferable to her living?!" Lami snapped suddenly, on her feet in an instant. "Don't you _know_ what this poisoning is? What message this is saying?... That being said," Lami thudded back to her knees. "A hospital wouldn't have been able to help. They refuse to acknowledge Amber Lead's existence..."  
  


"With welts like that?!" Sabo exclaimed, pointing to Leo's cheek. "Are they blind?!"  
  


Lami's fists were shaking. "No... it's just a little hard to see past all of the green in their eyes..."  
  


Coming to a decision, she shot to her feet. "If the fever grows any worse, boil her tea out of feverfew and yarrow - there's instruction in my bag -and get her to take it in sips. I'll be back."  
  


Making sure to grab her bokkan on her way out, Lami set a quick path to the North Blue suburb, specifically, Flevance, making sure that no one would see her. What she was planning to do was beyond insane, and if Doffy ever caught wind of this, it wasn't just her or her brother's or uncle's heads on the line, but all of Dadan's household, as well.  
  
 

* * *

 

Ace was convinced she'd deserted them, and Leo.  Sabo and Luffy were quietly optimistic, around the desperate worry for their baby sister. Occasionally though, optimism pays off, for at half four the following morning, Lami managed to slip into the hideout without anyone noticing until she fell to her knees by Leo, a syringe in hand. Carefully she gives Leo a doseage of whatever was in the syringe, puts the syringe gently to the side, and then collapses on the mattress next to her friend.  
  


"Please," Lami whispered. "For once, do me a favour, and _live_..."  
  


When Leo woke up at ten that morning begging for food and the white welts fast disappearing, Lami immediately became Ace's favourite person ever (after his siblings, of course) and the official doctor for the Dadan family.


	19. A little bit of Bonding

 

* * *

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

“Templar Island?”  Lami was frowning again.

 

“Oh, have you heard of it?” Sabo asked excitedly, half-falling down the mast in his haste.

 

She smacked him with her sword sheath again.  “I don’t know how you _don’t_ know about it, for an East Blue local.  It was a big deal in the last decade.”

 

Sabo flushed.  “Yeah, well, Dawn Island is really isolated from this sort of stuff, and I was living in the jungle, anyway.”

 

Before the silence could become awkward at _that_ statement, Leif exclaimed, “So!  Templar Island, ay?  I dunno anything about it, either.  And Silk was a major trading island for this Blue!”

 

Koala raised her hand.  “Yeah.  I’ve been with the Revolution since I was thirteen, and I can’t say I know much more then what’s on the map.”

 

Lami sighed and hoisted Senzo no Chi over one shoulder.  “There used to be two religious branches on that island.  The Templars came first, which is how the island got its name, and then the Komusō joined, and to the whole world’s surprise, they actually got along.  N – ”

 

“Why was it a surprise?”  Leif interrupted.

 

Lami and Koala both gave him a pitying look. 

 

“Typically speaking, religions tend to disagree on How The World Came To Be, and their arguments over the matter tend to get out of hand.”  Lami explained.  “There is some conjecture that it was a clash of religion that lead to the Void Century, a time in humanity’s past where there _is_ no recorded history, which is an interesting theory, if you hold with that.  In any case, the fact that _these_ two religions got along so well was a massive surprise, because of the nature of the beliefs.  The Komusō are called Empty Priests, or Priests of Nothing, because of their absence from ego, and their detachment from earthly desires.  They go on pilgrimages, playing their flutes for alms and as a meditation technique.  However, the Templars were called the Crusaders.  They would travel to the Holy Land, guiding pilgrims, retrieving artefacts, and occasionally going on long adventures in distant lands for the sake of their God.”

 

“The Holy Land – you don’t mean Mariejois?”  Koala exclaimed, shocked.

 

Lami eyed her coolly.  “Depending on which point in history you’re researching, that could be correct.  There were rumours that, before the Void Century, there was another Holy Land on a Desert Island somewhere, but I’m a physician, not a historian.  In any case, the Templars were recognised over the world as incredible fighters, and charity workers.  Now the last grand master had a daughter, who wrote to him often.  She was a nun, stationed on an island in the North Blue called Flevance, and she explained to him about the pandemic that was happening at that time.  But when the letters suddenly stopped, and Jacques D Molay found out about the island’s unnecessary and uncalled for destruction, he launched a Crusade against Mariejois.  They released many of the remaining slaves, ransacked the stores, and burned many of the buildings to the ground, causing severe casualties to the Tenryuubito. 

 

“In retaliation, the Tenryuubito destroyed all of the Crusaders, and sent the Marines after the remaining orderlies on Templar Island.  A number of the Komusō were also in the casualty list, but many of them had been on pilgrimage themselves.  When they returned though, and saw the carnage that had happened on their island, the remaining Komusō painted their baskets black, for mourning, and stitched red crosses around the cuffs of their kimono sleeves.  Templar Island is now a sanctuary for whoever needs it, so long as no weapons make their way ashore, and the Komusō are regarded as some of, if not _the_ best, hand to hand combatants.  So don’t cause any troubles, ok?”

 

The other three Scribes all nodded in agreement, although Sabo looked a little put out that he would have to leave his pipe behind.  It just didn’t feel right!

 

“Navigator-ya, how long would you say we have until we reach the shore?” 

 

Koala looked between her map and the horizon a few times, before answering that they should arrive at the island in time for a late lunch.

 

“Good.”  Lami said grimly.  “Captain-ya, with me.”

 

“What?”  Sabo looked panicked.  “But – but Leif was gonna show me –”

 

“I don’t care, I’m checking those stiches again.  I don’t like how healthy you are, it’s bordering on unnatural.”  Before the young captain could say anything else, Lami grabbed him by the ear and dragged him below decks.  Koala and Leif _attempted_ not to laugh at his misfortune, but unfortunately for Sabo, it was a lost battle.

 

* * *

  

“It’s fine, Lami, really!” 

 

She had to give him credit, Sabo was persistent.

 

“Need I remind you that this time last week, the top bounty in this Blue – a saw-nosed shark _Fishman_ – _bit you_ almost clean in half, and then proceeded to shake you like a rat; the only thing that was keeping your insides _inside_ was a sheet.  Honestly, you’re lucky to be in one piece, let alone _alive_.  Now hold still!”

 

To her medical shock, Lami found that Sabo’s ribs had almost healed together, and that the stitches would actually need removing within the next thirty-six hours.

 

“The hell…  Are you a D, or something?”  She demanded.

 

“Me?  No, though both of my brothers are.”

 

Lami felt her eyebrow start to twitch.  “And just how does that work?”

 

“Ah, we’re not brothers by _blood_!  We drank sake together, when we were kids!”

 

“… Are you trying to tell me that you are a living example of the “nurture versus nature” debate?”

 

“I don’t know what that is.”  * _smack_ *   “Ow!  Lami!  What kinda doctor – ”

 

“Yours, for some stupid reason!”  A sigh.  “I’ll remove the stiches today after all, I think.  But _don’t_ you _dare_ tear anything!”

 

“Aye!”  Sabo squeaked, thoroughly cowed.

 

“Whilst we’re on Templar, don’t do anything strenuous.  If you _really_ must train, come to me first, and I’ll supervise, just to make sure you’re not pushing yourself too much.  Realistically, though, I’d rather you leave any such endeavours for at least… hmm, another week, at the rate you’re going.  And at that point in stage, we’ll then see about minor work outs for improving muscle development. 

 

“Now, did you want anything before I take the stiches out, or…?”

 

Sabo didn’t even think about it.  “Nah, it’ll be fine.  I’ve had worse.”

 

Lami glared at the scars covering his left side.  “Oh yes, I can see that!  Did the thought of a doctor never cross your mind?  Look at this scaring!  Completely unnecessary, and you must have been in a considerable amount of pain during the recuperation – look here, the regrowth tore because of whatever strain you had it under!”

 

Sabo shifted, and gave Lami a reproving look.  “I told you, we lived with bandits in a jungle, and you didn’t eat if you didn’t work for it!  I – my brothers thought I had died.  I was with Dragon-san for a while, and then he left me on neighbouring island until I recovered enough to go home, but it’d been almost two years, and no one had been able to get anything to them, so I had to prove I was me!  And anyway, it still took another year after that before Ace even began to trust me again!”

 

Lami remained impassive.  “I didn’t ask for your life story, Captain-ya.  In fact, the less I know about it, the better.”  With that, she picked up forceps and thread-scissors, and started to work on removing the stitches.

 

“But – ”

 

“No.”  Lami interrupted firmly, starting on the first stitch.  “We had an agreement, remember?  I’m just your doctor, and you’re helping me find my brother.  We don’t need to know anything about each other’s pasts for that.”

 

She had removed another five stitches before Sabo asked quietly, “Why did Doflamingo take your brother?”

 

Lami’s hands paused only for a second.  “His Devil Fruit.”

 

Ten stitches, this time.

 

“Last year, a bunch of pirates came through Low Town.  Someone told them about Luffy eating the Gomu Gomu no Mi, and how he and Ace wanted to be pirates.  That crew managed to catch Lu, and they were going to sell him for his Fruit.  Ace and I almost didn’t get there in time.”

 

Seven stitches.

 

“What did you do to the pirates?”

 

“We caught them at the docks, putting Lu on to their ship…  I thought Ace was going to kill them, he was beating them so much.  And the scary part was, I wanted him to, and I wanted to help him do it.  That’s when Dadan, our adoptive mother, found us, and she and the other bandits took care of the pirates, and we took Luffy home.”

 

Five stitches. 

 

“Does that make me a bad person?  I mean, Luffy’s a weak crybaby, but he’s our little brother, and we’re going to be pirates, so… but I just want to be free.  I don’t want to hurt anyone unless they give me a reason; I’m not a bully.”

 

Fifteen stitches.

 

“No.”  She said quietly.  “Big brothers are supposed to look after their little siblings, no matter what.  Law told me that in an argument, once.”

 

Nine stitches.

 

“I want Doffy dead.”  Lami told him, her voice frigidly calm.  “And I don’t even care if it makes me a bad person.  I just want him to pay for what he did.”  She removed the final stitch, and swiped the healing scars with alcohol.  Sabo took her hand just as she reached for the bandages.

 

“We’re nakama now.”  He said simply, ignoring her scowl.  “That means we help each other.  If you don’t like talking about your past, that’s your business.  But I need you to trust me, too, ok?  We need to work together.  We’re a team.”

 

* * *

 

 

“So…” Leif asked faux nonchalantly, leaning against the ship railing.  “You wear dresses often, or do ya have a style, or … what?”

 

Koala sweatdropped.  “Leif-kun, what are you getting at here?”

 

“Is yellow your favourite colour?”  He derailed.

 

“Wha – yes?  Why are you – ?”

 

“Is cotton your preferred material in your clothes?”

 

“Leif-kun, are you trying to – ?!”

 

“Come on, Miss Navigator!”

 

“Don’t call me that!”

 

“So, yellow cotton dress, is that what you’d like?  With big pockets?”

 

“I – wha – Leif-kun!  Is this how you normally conduct your business?!”

 

He had the grace to look sheepish.  “I’ve never really handled a customer before – Aunty didn’t want people to get too close a look at me, in case she had to get me off the island.”

 

Koala pouted.  “Well, that’s no fun!  Hmm…  then I’ll give you a crash course!  What you should do is say, _is there anything you had in mind_?  And then you start asking about colours and materials.  Otherwise, you start suggesting things _gently_ , ok?”

 

Leif thought it over for a few moments, before nodding, grinning wildly.

 

“Did you have anything in mind, Miss Koala?”

 

She grinned back.  “I thought you’d never ask!  How do you feel about a blouse and skirt?  And what can you do about stockings?”

 

* * *

 

 

**So, funny story when I was trying to figure out how many stitches Sabo had.  My brother was next to me, and basically I went “How big was your head injury, and how many stitches did you have?”  And it was only about the size of my pinkie finger, and that was three stitches, so I kinda just went around my gut with my hands, and he kinda mumbles, “ah, she’ll stop there.  Ok, there…  There! ... Come on, there – oh, fuckssake, what are you doing, a magic act?!”**

**Yes, both the Templars and the Komusō are real!  The first existed at the forefront of Western Christianity for two centuries during the middle ages, and the latter is an extension of Zen Buddhism, and is really fascinating to read about.  There’ll be more on them later.  Congrats to anyone who picked up that the Sister on Flevance was who Lami was talking about, at the start of the chapter.**

**Anywho, thank you for reading, and I hope you drop a review!**


	20. So that's a no to religion?

_“You lied to them, Nii-sama.  Sister says you’re not supposed to do that.”  Lami scolded as she pulled on a new dress._

_Law shook his head, pacing around their shared room.  “Something didn’t sit right – why didn’t he talk?  Who were those kids?  If they knew that he was a User, then they should have been worried that he had fallen into the sea, but they just laughed.  So either they don’t know, or they don’t care.  I don’t like it…  You stay away from them, Lami.”_

_She snorted, and started to towel off her hair.  “Where am I going to see them again?  I’m always either at school or here or the beach with you.”_

_“Then until they leave, let’s not go to the beach anymore.”_

_“Law – !”_

_“As your big brother, it’s my job to look after you, no matter what, right?”  Law demanded.  “I think those kids were pirates too, so stay away from them all, ok?”_

 

* * *

  

True to Koala’s predictions, the Blue Scribes sailed into port not long after midday – Sabo’s stomach had been grumbling ever since Lami had finished removing his stiches, so everyone was pretty keen to land.  To everyone except Lami’s surprise, though, one of the Komusō had met them at the jetty, and helped them tie Koala’s boat to the pier.

 

“Welcome to Templar Island,” The Komusō said in a soft voice from beneath a black basket.  “All are welcome, but I’m afraid that no weapons are allowed.”  The tone of voice was perfectly respectful, but there was a hard edge there, as well.  “Who is the Captain of the vessel?”

 

Sabo stepped forward, pulling on the new shirt Leif had made for him, with his typical smile in place.  “Ah, that would be me, Komusō-san.  I’m Sabo, and we’re the B – _ow, Lami, dammit!_ ”

 

Lami had clotheslined him in the nose, before he could give too many details away, and bowed respectfully to the priest.  “My apologies for our captain.  I’m Lami, the doctor; this is the navigator, Koala, and the tailor, Leif.  Please, do you have any long-range Den Den Mushi?  It’s just that Koala-chan’s father is ill, and she was hoping to talk to him before he departs for a better place.”  The three Scribes all attempted to keep straight faces at Lami’s boldfaced lies, but it was a close run thing (Sabo in particular was glad he had an excuse to be covering his face).

 

The Komusō bowed back.  “Of course.  Once everyone has disembarked, I shall take her there myself.  Please make sure you leave your weapons aboard your ship.”  The Scribes bowed in return.  “Just so that you are all aware, we also have a Marine ship docked on the other side of the island.  So please do something about that,” he added, pointing at their pirate’s flag.

 

The Scribes sweatdropped, and Sabo clambered up the mast to tie it down.  As this was happening, Lami stepped closer to the priest, and held over her medical bag. 

 

“Non nobis Domine, non nobis, sed nomini tuo da gloriam,” She said quietly.  “As a doctor, I have some pretty dangerous objects on hand, for all medical occasions.  The nodachi I use for self-defence shall remain on board, of course, but…”

 

The priest inclined his basketted head.  “I will inform my brothers.  If I may, sensei, where are you from?  It is rare to find someone of your faith.”

 

Lami played with the chain that hung around her neck, watching as Koala and Leif tried to help Sabo untangle himself from the sail ropes.  “North Blue.”

 

“Ah, I see.” The priest nodded.  “You are from _that island_ , then?  May I see that?”

 

Lami’s fingers stilled, before carefully pulling the chain of her cross out from under her dress with her tattooed arm.

 

“Ah, of course.  You are the little girl Sister Jacques D Molly spoke of so fondly.  It is an honour to have you on this island, Trafalgar-sensei.”

 

“Just Lami will be fine,” She said, inclining her head once, before moving to help get Sabo back on deck, the cross tucked back beneath her dress.

 

* * *

 

With the minor dramas sorted out, the Komusō asked each of them to state what weapons they possessed, and place them belowdecks on the kitchen table.  Sabo’s pipe, Senzo no Chi, Koala’s filleting knife and Leif’s small hunting dagger were all placed carefully on the table, and then the priest led them all back through the town they’d landed in.  Their first stop had been to the guest houses to store their packs for the night; all guests to Templar Island were given a bunk in the guest houses, so that was to be the Scribes rendezvous spot, should they become separated. 

 

Once all of the Scribes had picked out their bunks (there were two bunks to a room, so they were all together, at least) and settled their belongings, the priest took them into the small dining area for a quiet lunch.

 

“This is delicious!”  Sabo exclaimed, tucking in to the bowl of egg and rice.

 

Koala and Lami watched him and Leif in mild disgust, shovelling food into their mouths as though there was no tomorrow.  Interestingly enough to Lami, Sabo seemed to be guarding his food as he ate, eyes flickering every which way and body poised as if to launch himself at somebody – maybe he hadn’t always gotten enough to eat, in that Jungle? 

 

“You’re both being rude!”  Koala scolded.  “You need to breathe as you eat, you know!”

 

Both boys poised with their latest mouthful halfway to their face, eyes guarded.  Sabo coughed and cleared his throat, nudging Leif and bowing to the Komusō.  “Sorry about that!  I’m used to having to fight for every mouthful, you see, so I apologise if I offended you.  Na, Leif?”

 

Wild green hair bobbed as Leif nodded in agreement.  “Sorry, mate!  ‘S some pretty decent tucker!”

 

Koala and Lami facepalmed.

 

“You know, everyone, I think the next nakama we should find should be a cook!”  Sabo told the Scribes cheerfully, still eating at a slightly-faster-than-normal pace.  “The best cook in the world, how’s that sound?”

 

Koala flicked a piece of rice into his eye.  “This _again_?!  Sabo-kun!”

 

He laughed, and the rest of the lunch passed quite quickly.  As the priest had to attend in a prayer service in just a little while, he offered to give the Scribes a brief tour of the small town before he had to leave them to their own devices.  They all agreed readily, with the understanding that they would all meet back in their room at five, should they get separated

 

That, as it turned out, was a very good idea.

 

Leif was the first to disappear, his ‘friends’ and his ears leading him directly to the island’s sole loomhouse, where he gleefully informed the others to go on without him, promising to make everybody new clothes with the knowledge he was about to pick up.

 

“Is he always like that?”  The priest asked the sweatdropping Scribes.

 

“I hope not,” Lami grumbled.

 

“He’s still new…” Koala mumbled.

 

“He only joined us on the last island,” Sabo added, before shaking his head, and attempting to regain his earlier good mood.  “On the bright side, just think about that!  New cloths will be cool!”

 

The girls both shot scathing looks at the blonde captain, which he cheerfully ignored.

 

“Lead on, Komusō-san!”

 

Koala departed next, staying at the Communications Room to contact Dragon, whilst Lami and Sabo continued their tour with the priest.  Eventually, however, he had to go join the mass, leaving the remaining Scribes to their own devices.  Basically, they just decided to wander through the woods around the township they’d landed in, and see if they couldn’t reconnaissance any nearby Marines (Sabo’s idea, not Lami’s – she only agreed in the end because she couldn’t sense any humans in there with her Haki).

 

 “So,” He began cheerfully once the township was out of sight.  Lami could already feel a headache developing.

 

“What now?”

 

“You didn’t say you were religious.”

 

Lami frowned at him.  “That’s because I’m not: I’m an atheist.”

 

Sabo raised his eyebrows, at that.  “Then why do you wear that cross?”

 

Lami spun them both around and pushed Sabo up against a tree, a gloved forearm against his throat.  “Didn’t we have a discussion, _not four hours ago_ , about _not_ going into my past?”  Her gold-brown eyes were fierce.

 

Sabo held up his hands, placating.  “Hey, I was just asking if you were religious.  Didn’t mention your past or anything.  Just curious.”

 

“Curiosity killed the cat!”  Lami spat back, stepping away and moving off again.

 

“But satisfaction brought it back,” Sabo called, chasing after her and rubbing a hand against his throat.  Lami turned around, ready to yell, before closing her mouth furiously with an audible _snap_.  She drew in a deep breath, appeared to count to ten with her eyes closed, then turned back around the other way, and started stalking back towards the township.

 

“Hey!  Lami, wait up!  I didn’t mean to offend you!”

                                                                                                               

She flicked him the finger, and continued back to the town.

 

Sabo groaned, rubbing the back of his head.  “Jeez, she’s even harder than Ace was!”

 

_On the streets of Loguetown, a darkhaired, freckled pirate captain sneezed.  “Ah, must be a beautiful woman talking about me!  I bet it’s that bounty!”_

_“Oi!  Come back here, pirate!”_

_“Huh?  Ah, better run ­_ – _men!  Let’s set sail!  Sabo, Luffy – here I go!  The Grand Line!”_

 

* * *

  

“… and now he’s saying that we should pick up a cook as well!  Dragon-san, you _have_ to talk to Sabo-kun about this stupid idea of his – I mean, who’s ever even heard of _Revolutionary Pirates_ , anyway!?  What an idea!”

 

There was a dry snort from the Den Den Mushi.  “ _What an idea, indeed.  Don’t you think that this might be the sort of change necessary for our cause, Koala?  Something to turn the tide?”_

 

Koala pouted.  “It can turn as many tides as it wants, people aren’t going to want to help us once they find out that some of our members are pirates!”

 

“ _Some of our members are already pirates, Koala.  Of all people, you should know that._ ”

 

Koala blushed, her fingers brushing the bottom of her sun brand, hidden beneath the back of her dress.  “…Oh…  But still, sir I –!”

 

“Koala!”  Sabo suddenly appeared at the doorway.  “You’re a girl, right?”

 

Her eyebrow twitched.  “Sabo-kun, where are you going with this?”

 

“I made Lami mad again – how do I fix it?  I mean, I just go find more food for my brothers when we’re fighting, but that never worked on Makino-san, so what do you do for a girl?!  Ah, hello, Dragon-san!”

 

There was a chuckle from the snail phone, and Koala _thump_ ed her head on the table.

 

It was going to be a _looong_ trip back to Baltigo.

 

* * *

 

 

**Non nobis Domine, non nobis, sed nomini tuo da gloriam : Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy Name give glory – the Templars motto.  There will be more on this next chapter ;)**

**Jacques D Molay – a play on Jacques de Molay, the last Grand Master of the Knights Templar.  Molly is the name I gave the Sister in Flevance because why not?**


	21. Corazon + Omake

“Right,” Koala sighed, taking her newsboy cap off and running her fingers through her dirty blonde hair once their conversation with Dragon-san had been disconnected.  “Start at the beginning: what did you do this time?”

 

“Nothing!”  Sabo exclaimed.  “I asked if she was religious, that’s all!”

 

Koala glared at him balefully.  “Idiot.  She’s a private person, and you go and ask her something like that?  That’s a delicate, personal thing, you know!”

 

“Jungle!”  He shouted defensively, throwing his hands in the air.  “The closest to religion we got was Dadan wanting to be a Fairy!  How was I supposed to know she’d be so offended?!”

 

“Well, what did she say, then?”

 

“She’s an atheist.”

 

* _twitch twitch_ *  “Then what did you do to piss her off again!?  If she’s an atheist, and you know nothing about religion, then why did you ask in the first place?”

 

Sabo turned away, arms crossed defensively over his chest.  “I was curious, because she wears a cross under her dress.”

 

“… And how the hell do you know _that_?”

 

Sabo gave a resigned sigh.  “She pulled it out when I was tangled in the netting.  I didn’t mean to pry, I was just curious.”

 

Koala groaned.  “You’re _such_ an idiot, Sabo-kun.  _Think_.  What’s the religious symbol of the Knights Templar?”

 

Black eyes widened in shock.  “Oh…”  Sabo bowed his head, his fringe shadowing his eyes.  “Ne, Koala… how do I make it up to her?”

 

“Give her some space and apologise?”

 

Sabo shook his head.  “An apology is just words.  You need actions, if you really want to mean it.  My brothers… I’m sure you heard from Dragon-san, what happened in the Goa Kingdom seven years ago, and how he and Iva-san saved me.  It was nearly two years before I could go home to Ace and Luffy, and they thought that … that I had died.  They were so mad, and … I didn’t know how to apologise then.  I said ‘sorry’ so many times, and even though Luffy forgave me, Ace…  He said, “ _what’s the point in useless words?  How do I even know you mean it?_ ”  When I look in Lami’s eyes, I can see a similar pain to what was in Ace’s, so I know she must think a similar thing.  I made it up to my brothers by always being there, and getting more food, and training harder and finding them cool presents.  But they were so easy to figure out!  I don’t know what to do with Lami, other than keep my promise, but… that’s not something that can be so easily finished.”

 

Koala was silent for some time, before sighing sadly.  “I don’t know, Sabo-kun.  Like I said, our doctor is a very private person, so I don’t really know what to do.  Let her cool down for a little while though, and then go and apologise to her, and, I don’t know, make dinner?  I mean, yeah, the Komusō have fed us so far, but we’ll just go and ask someone about it for tonight, ok?”

 

After a moment, Sabo offered her a weak smile.  “Sounds like a plan.  Thanks, Koala.  Let’s go see what we can do about it, then.”

 

_Meanwhile, in another part of the small town…_

 

This, Leif decided, was the life.  The looms used on Templar Island were far larger than the one that Aunty Dawn had taught him to weave on, or the one he had set up aboard the ship, but that was ok, he liked learning new things.  It hadn’t taken very long for him to get used to the different size and requirements of these new looms, and after giving a brief biography to the monks and priestesses who were running the whole show, they’d only been too happy to let Leif make whatever he’d wanted.

 

He’d started this new bolt on board the ship, making a plain white roll of cotton-based fabric, with every hundredth thread being a piece of one of his friends’ silk; this way, he would always be able to find and help out his new human friends!  Thanks to the larger looms, he was able to make an even _bigger_ bolt, so he had heaps of material to work with!  And white material was easiest to dye, so he could leave that bit until last.  The next step after his speedy cloth-making was to find the clothing designs he’d need.

 

He’d had the ideas for many outfits drawn up since that first day on Silk Island, when he and Coby had met Koala, and then gone to help Lami treat Sabo, and his conversation with the navigator that morning had only given him further insight to the tastes of the Blue Scribe Pirates.  However, Leif thought that it might be better to just make them all another outfit quickly, and if he had the time later (they _were_ pirates, you could never be too careful), _then_ he’d make them all something cool.

 

Captain was already wearing his new shirt, but Leif had also made him a new pair of pants, and had the base of a doublet and coat set aside for when Leif could put a sturdier material on the outside.  Those could wait a little while; they’d do for the moment, once Leif found some dye that _wasn’t_ black or red.  (He sent some of his friends off to the forest to find the plants that would help him make blue dye, and moved on)

 

With Sabo’s clothes cut, sewn and missing only a splash of colour, Leif turned then to the navigator’s wardrobe.  Leif had been all geared up to make her a new dress, but apparently that wasn’t on the charts.  Koala wanted three-quarter sleeves, a miniskirt, and tights (and wouldn’t _that_ last one be awkward, if he didn’t have his friends to help him take measurements?) in white, black and yellow.  Leif sent out another group of his friends to try and find plants to make yellow dye, and did his best to match the flowing patterns that she’d requested with the black ink available.

 

Roman Leif, generally speaking, _liked_ a challenge.  Koala’s clothing designs did not count, so Leif didn’t feel so bad for thinking that they were just being unnecessarily painful.

 

The doctor, however, was proving to be the hardest for Leif, as he hadn’t been able to talk to her (like, _at all_ ) about what she wanted!  She’d worn the same thing in the almost-fortnight that Leif had known her, and whilst the gloves, dress and tights were cute, she _had_ to want a change by now!  I mean, come on, Leif was by nobody’s standards the tidiest person around, what with always rolling through brambles and ditches, and climbing trees and the occasional cliff face in search of new threads or dye ingredients, but at least he had more than one set of clothes!  He had _two_ , cargo pants and singlet for warm weather, and a jacket and long sleeved shirt for the colder weather.  Leif’s clothes, just like the one’s he was making for his new friends, were sturdy, and built with his lifestyle in mind.  But what did one make for a very scary and _slightly_ antisocial doctor?

 

After five minutes of bashing his head against the loom going _think think think!_ , one of the trainee seamstresses took pity on Leif, and helped him draw up a new dress and gloves for Lami, in a dark red.  The young seamstress (her name was Sorano, and she thought that Lami’s swarthy skin and mysterious eyes were the sexiest thing ever – Leif did not agree) had been only too happy to help Leif, as they crafted a sleeveless, kimono-themed dress in dark-red and black, chattering away amiably about the people who normally came to her island, and what the marines in the other port were like.  They’d only arrived yesterday, Sorano said, but their captain was a _cutie~!_   Leif had to listen as she waxed poetic about the captain’s taste in sharp clothes, and were he not working, he would have fallen asleep.  That is, until she’d mentioned the fact that the marine captain was carrying a cute little pug dog around.

 

Leif felt himself go pale, under his dark skin and layers of dirt.

 

The student of Aokiji, Headquarters Marine Captain and renowned sharpshooter, Calamity Jane, and her partner, Kate, were on this island.  The self-same Jane who had been coming to Silk for the last three years and idolised his tailoring abilities so much that she could recognise his work by the weave alone.  The same Jane who could take one look at him, see the pink in his fringe and the turn of his eyes, and point him out as the apprentice of Silk’s tailor – the **_dead_** apprentice.

 

“Aw, hell!”  Leif whispered.

* * *

 

_“You lied to them, Nii-sama.  Sister says you’re not supposed to do that.”  Lami scolded as she pulled on a new dress._

 

_Law shook his head, pacing around their shared room.  “Something didn’t sit right – why didn’t he talk?  Who were those kids?  If they knew that he was a User, then they should have been worried that he had fallen into the sea, but they just laughed.  So either they don’t know, or they don’t care.  I don’t like it…  You stay away from them, Lami.”_

 

_She snorted, and started to towel off her hair.  “Where am I going to see them again?  I’m always either at school or here or the beach with you.”_

 

_“Then until they leave, let’s not go to the beach anymore.”_

 

_“Law – !”_

 

_“As your big brother, it’s my job to look after you, right?”  Law demanded.  “I think those kids were pirates too, so stay away from them all, ok?”_

 

_Lami sighed and grumbled, but nodded._

 

_Heading back down to the main part of the hospital, both siblings were in a less-than-stellar mood.  Law was to go back into surgery (this time it was the father of one of his classmates), and Lami would go back to studying under her parents, helping to carry supplies around.  Until the epidemic was better contained, school had been closed._

 

_“Lami, what happened?  You’ve changed your clothes.”  Their mother, Watel D Himeko, asked, coming out from behind the front desk with a collection of new pills.  Lami laughed awkwardly, and said she’d tell her later._

 

_“Kaa-sama, Lami, I’m going back in to surgery now,” Law said firmly._

 

_“Would you take someone with you, Law?”  Himeko called after her son, worried._

 

_He looked back with a frown.  “I’m fine on my own.  You need everyone else to do other jobs, and nobody likes watching me dice people up, anyway.”_

 

_“You’ve been using your power a lot, and even with Lami forcing you on breaks, I’m worried you might be overextending yourself.  Why don’t you take your sister in there, and she can watch over you, just in case.”_

 

_Law shook his head quickly.  “She can start coming in tomorrow – Tou-sama is going to teach her something important today.  I’ll be fine, Kaa-sama, so don’t worry!”  Kissing his mother and sister each on the cheek, he quickly trotted off to the room where his patient was waiting, drew the screen around the bed, and proceeded to “operate” the Amber Lead from his patient’s body._

 

_Meanwhile, Lami had been instructed by her mother to organise the medications behind the front counter until her father came for her, when somebody called out._

 

_“Excuse me?”  Lami peaked out from the back shelving to see a strange, incredibly tall man with a pink mantle and sunglasses, and behind him, the man from the beach._

 

_“Ah, Corazon-san!”  Lami called cheerfully.  “You haven’t dried off yet?  You’ll catch a cold!”_

 

_“Oh?” The other man asked.  “Are you one of the doctors who helped my precious baby brother?”_

 

_Lami blinked a few times then, before nodding hesitantly.  “I’m not a doctor yet, but I held Corazon-san out of the sea long enough for my brother to help me get him back onto the pier.  Who are you?”_

 

_The strange man paused for a moment, before giving a flourishing bow.  “My apologies, young miss, I forgot my manners.  I am Donquixote Doflamingo.”_

 

_Lami’s eyes narrowed, and she stuck her hands on her hips.  “So you are a pirate.  Donquixote-san, this is a hospital, so unless you’re injured please leave.”  She turned back to Corazon.  “It was nice to meet you again, but it wouldn’t hurt for you to say so, too!”  She ducked down behind the counter, and started riffling through the bottles of pills down there, as well._

 

_“My little brother can’t talk,” Doflamingo told her, leaning against the counter.  With a scowl, Lami ducked back up again, cobwebs in her pigtails._

 

_“Why didn’t you say so earlier?”  She scolded, coming around with a stepstool and her backpack.  “Corazon-san, please take a seat over there.”  When the shocked blonde didn’t make any move, Lami sighed exasperatedly, took his hand, and dragged him over to one of the waiting room seats.  “Please take a seat,” she told him professionally, drawing a wooden stick and stethoscope from her backpack and stepping up onto her stool.  “Please say, ‘ah!’ for me – or, um, pretend to.”_

 

_Using the stick, Lami held his tongue down, and peered down his throat.  Grumbling, she pulled a penlight out of her pocket, and looked again.  Frowning, she chucked the stick into a nearby bin, pulled the stethoscope up over her ears, and placed it over his chest, and closed her eyes.  Concentrating on her Haki, Lami listened as closely as she could to his chest and diaphragm.  Pulling back with another frown, Lami asked him to take off his mantle, slip his shirt down a bit, and turn around._

 

_“That won’t really be necess –” Doflamingo began._

 

_“Are you a doctor?”  Lami interrupted him, a no-nonsense tone in her voice.  At the surprised shaking of the pirate’s head, she gave him a rather fierce look.  “Then don’t tell me how to do my job in my own hospital!  Corazon-san, please turn around.”_

 

_The other occupants of the room, the family members of Law’s latest surgery, giggled.  As cheerful and silly as Lami was normally, she took her patients very seriously, and wouldn’t take ‘no’ for an answer._

 

_After another minute, Lami pulled back, and jumped off of her stepstool.  “How strange!  Corazon-san, there isn’t anything physically wrong with you at all, and I can’t find any traces of lockjaw herbs, so whatever is stopping you from talking must be either mental or traumatic.”  Huffing, she crossed her arms and glared up at him.  “You should have written it out to me and Nii-sama earlier!  He’s a better doctor than me, so he might be able to help you talk again!”_

 

_Picking up her stepstool, Lami walked back behind the counter, grumbling.  “All of the other doctors are busy right now, so I’m afraid I can’t help you at all.  Maybe if you tried the Sister?  Her God might be able to do what science can’t.”_

 

_“That’s ok,” Doflamingo said quickly, before she could interrupt him again.  “That’s not actually why we’re here.  I wanted to thank the doctors who helped my precious little brother out!”_

 

_“Oh,” Lami blinked for a moment before giving her most professional smile.  “I’ll let Nii-sama know you said so.  Thank you for coming.”  She ducked under the counter again, and they could hear her rummaging amongst the bottles and containers._

 

_Above the desk, Doffy was developing a headache – this little girl kept sidelining his plans!_

 

_“I was wondering, I heard that one of the doctors here ate the Ope Ope no Mi?”_

 

 _There was a_ thump! _, followed by a pained whimper.  Lami drew herself up again, rubbing at the lump on the back of her head.  “You’re still here, and asking such questions?”  She sighed, and folded her arms on the front counter.  “Look, Donquixote-san, this is a hospital, and we’re in the middle of an epidemic.  We’re really busy, and short of staff – that’s why they have an eight-year-old manning the front desk, instead of in school.  Maybe one of the doctors ate a fruit, and maybe one of them didn’t – I don’t see why it affects you, since you only came here to thank a doctor, not ask for help.  So please leave and let me do my job, ok?”  She turned to Corazon.  “Please go and dry off before you catch something.  And also, don’t tell people that you came to Flevance just now, because they might get mad with you, and think you caught the Amber Lead.  Have a good day.”_

 

_Trying his best to contain his rage, Doffy turned around, and his brother followed.  Naturally though, they didn’t make it ten steps before Corazon tripped over his own feet, crashed into a trolley covered in surgical implements, somehow managed to shove a scalpel through one palm, and knocked himself out in the process._

 

_There was a squeak behind them, and suddenly Lami was there, carefully removing the remaining instruments from any close proximity to Cora, and flipping him over gently.  “Donquixote-san, I need you to grab that baby Den Den Mushi from the counter,” Lami asked calmly, pulling a bandana out of her bag and gently wrapping it around where the scalpel went through Cora’s hand._

 

_“Just pull it out, I’ll take him back to the ship; he’ll be fine.”  Doffy said carelessly._

 

 _He was shocked by the withering glare he received.  “Donquixote-san, this man is now my patient, and I am_ going _to keep him under surveillance for a concussion tonight!  Now please hand me that Snail!”_

 

_Stunned beyond belief, Doffy reached over the counter and handed the tiny white and blue snail to the furious little girl.  “Go back to your ship where you’ll be of use,” Lami told him in a chilly voice.  “If you’re at the docks, it’ll be easy to find you if his condition changes.  Now please leave my hospital!”  Turning away from him, she used the snail to call out over the hospital sound system, “Tou-sama, we have an unconscious knife wound and concussion in the waiting room!  Can someone help me carry him to a room please?”_

 

* * *

 

 

On Templar island more than a decade later, Lami leant against the bough of a tree, breathing hard and holding on to her arms tightly.  She hated to admit it, but these attacks were becoming more and more frequent, more painful.

 

Once the stinging pain subsided a fraction, she reached into her bag and pulled out a canteen and two of the pills she had made the previous day, downing them quickly.  Sliding down the trunk until she was sitting against it on the ground, Lami rolled down the sleeve of her right glove, looked at the lurid white marks, and had to admit that they were getting drastically worse.

 

“Nii-sama,” She whispered, thumping her head against the trunk, eyes closed, and rolling the glove back up to her elbow.  “Where are you?”

  

* * *

* * *

**OMAKE!**

  

It had been a week since Lami had snuck back into Flevance and stolen the antidote for Amber Lead from under Doffy’s (figurative) nose, and Leo was making a fast recovery.  Sometimes, though, Lami and Leo had … _political disagreements_ about how fast the pixie-faced spitfire was healing.

 

“Dadan-ya,” Lami asked the Saturday after Leo’s initial recovery, in a chilly voice.  “Where is Leo-ya?”

 

Dadan sneered from where she was going through her bookkeeping.  “Those brats!  They were supposed to do chores today, but instead they all ran off to do _karaoke_!  All four of the bastards!”

 

Lami felt a twitch develop in her cheekbone – Law had started calling it her Leo-twitch.  “Karaoke.  A week after suffering from an incredibly rare and deadly poisoning, when she _should_ still be recuperating in bed, and that idiot thinks it’s a good idea to do _karaoke_?!”

 

Dadan sniffed.  “Well, if she wants to go ahead and kill herself, _Bink’s Sake_ is the best place to start.”

 

Lami was quiet for another minute, before throwing her bags (she was spending the night again) onto the siblings’ shared bed with a snarl, gripping her bokken and travel-kit tightly, and then stalking out of the room with her fiercest glare in place.  Dadan wasn’t likely to be helpful again, so Lami headed straight for the backdoor and dragged Mogra down by his ear.

 

“Maa, maa, Lami-san!”  He squeaked, cowering at the look in her eyes.  “There’s no need for violence, they just wanted to have some f – ”

 

“If the next word out of your mouth is _fun_ ,” Lami said threatening.  It really said a lot about the Dadan family, and Lami’s temper, that Morgra shook his head quickly and shut up, absolutely terrified.  “Good.  Now how the hell do I get to _Bink’s Sake_?”

 

“Eh?  Maa, that’s easy!  It’s only two blocks over, but it’s tucked into a tiny little alley, so –”

 

“ _How do I get there_.”  Lami enunciated.

 

“I’ll show you!”  He squeaked again.

 

* * *

 

Sabo loved his siblings dearly.  They were his treasure, after all!  But, well, sometimes they didn’t exactly have the best of ideas, and “let’s go sing karaoke!” when Lami-chan had _specifically said_ that Leo needed to stay in bed and rest, well….  You couldn’t exactly _blame_ him for being scared, could you?

 

“… _Ha~ving the time of my li~fe!_ ”  Leo sung, off key.

 

“ _And I’ve ne~ver felt this way before!_ ”  Ace joined in, cheerfully ignoring Sabo’s pointed looks, and the fact that Lami had beaten him in a fight three times in a row on Sunday.

 

Luffy was laughing at them at the back table, eating the snacks that Brook, the bar owner, had set out for them, and giving his ridiculously oversized Irish setter, Laboon, a good rub behind the ears.

 

“Ne, Sabo!”  Luffy cheered over the top of their siblings’ horrible singing.  “Cheer up!  It’s karaoke, karaoke!”

 

“We _really_ shouldn’t be here today, though, Luffy.”  Sabo worried.  “Wasn’t Lami-chan coming over today?”

 

“Nah, that’s Saturday.”

 

“… _Today_ is Saturday, Luffy…”

 

“Huh, really?  Oh well, Dadan and the guys will look after her until we get back!  It’ll be fine.”

The next five songs passed by in a similar fashion, and Sabo had been half convinced that Lami was going to storm into the room and _maybe_ kill them all, but since it had all been going so well, Leo was fine, and maybe Luffy was right!  They were at a karaoke bar, and Sabo was going to have fun, dammit!

 

“ _I came in like a wre~cking ball_!”  Sabo and Leo were warbling along together, when Lami-chan _did_ bust the door down.  Ace choked on his food, Luffy burst out laughing, Leo swore under her breath, and Sabo fell over his own feet with a very dignified and manly – _manly_ – shriek.

 

“Monkey D. Leo.”  Lami said in her coldest voice.  “What part of _stay in bed or **else**_ , didn’t you get?”

 

There was a collective _gulp!_ and then a scrambling for safety.

 

Lami knew _no_ mercy.

 

 

* * *

 

 

**If you don’t have internet connection and the little T-rex thing comes up in your web browser, hit space bar and play the game~!  If I can hit 1240 drunk, you guys will be tops!!!**


	22. Templar Island

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Happy Third Birthday, Eleutheromania!

__

* * *

 

Last time, on Eleutheromania

 

_The student of Aokiji, Headquarters Marine Captain and renowned sharpshooter, Calamity Jane, and her partner, Kate, were on this island.  The self-same Jane who had been coming to Silk for the last three years and idolised his tailoring abilities so much that she could recognise his work by the weave alone.  The same Jane who could take one look at Leif, see the pink in his fringe and the turn of his eyes, and point him out as the apprentice of Silk’s tailor – the **dead** apprentice._

 

…

_“Let’s go out for dinner, maybe?” Koala offered.  “You can apologise to Lami-san properly then.”_

_Sabo gave her a weak smile.  “Sounds like a plan.  Thanks, Koala.  Let’s go see what we can do about it, I s’pose.”_

_…_

_“Nii-sama,” Lami whispered, thumping her head against the trunk, eyes closed, and rolling the glove back up to her elbow to hide the white welts.  “Where are you?”_

 

* * *

 

“Where did you see Lami-san last, Sabo-kun?” Koala asked as the two made their way through the streets.

 

“In the forest, but I don’t know if she stayed there.  She was walking back towards town, after she tried to strangle me.”

 

“ _Stran_ – oh my god, I can’t even leave you alone with your crew?!”

 

“It’s a sign of love,” Sabo said breezily.  “You’ll see, we’re going to be the _best_ crew ever!”

 

Koala groaned, and had just opened her mouth to snap something back when a bundle of brown and green bowled into her and knocked her to the ground with a squawk. 

 

“Ah, there you are!”  Lief exclaimed, rolling to his feet.  “Where’s the doc?  We kinda gotta _go_.”

 

“We’re trying to find Lami now,” Koala grumbled as she pulled herself upright.  “What did you do?  I can’t take you lot _anywhere_!”

 

“I haven’t _done_ anything!”  Leif exclaimed, waving his hands.  “It’s just, that Marine Captain who was my home island is kinda here right now?  And, uh, she _really_ likes my threads, like she can pick them out in a line up, I don’t actually know how she does it, but – ”

 

“Oh my _god_!”  Koala moaned again, head in her hands.

 

“We can’t just run away again,” Sabo said mulishly.

 

“ _You_ are injured,” Koala snapped at him.  “Leif-kun doesn’t exactly have a lot of combat experience, and neither Lami-san nor myself want to be noticed.  A tactical retreat is the only option.”

 

“Or we could just hide,” A tired voice came from behind them.  The three teens all shrieked and leapt in to the air in shock.  “Hello – I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but I thought perhaps you might like some assistance?”

 

The Komusō behind them was _ridiculously_ tall.  Measuring in at a broad-shouldered eight feet, it was a smooth tenor voice that came from beneath the symbol of his religion.

 

“Ah, Komusō-san, don’t you… have mass, right now?” Koala laughed nervously.

 

“Mass has finished,” the accented voice said.  “And the Captain Jane of the Marines was interested in witnessing one of our preachings.  I thought it might be prudent to … keep the peace, between two such very different groups like yourselves.”

 

The Blue Scribes all collapsed in relief.

 

“That would be appreciated, thank you, Komusō -san,” Sabo agreed, voice weary.  “It’s just, we’re not actually sure where our doctor is?”

 

“The young lady in blue, with the duckbilled hat?  Well, that does complicate things a little bit.  Is she likely to be recognised, or cause a disruption?” 

 

Sabo waved his hand quickly.  “No, no – if anything, Lami is the least likely to get in to trouble.”

 

“I can find her,” Leif offered.  “We just need a rendezvous.  We’re supposed to catch up back at our room, but, uh…”

 

“I can hide yourselves away for a while, and can get a message to your friend,” The Komusō reassured.  “If you come this way, please?”

 

 “Komusō-san, we’re in your care.  I’m Koala, and they’re Leif and Sabo.”  Koala said politely.

 

The basketed head inclined, just a little.  “Bou-san is fine, Koala-san.  This way, please.”

 

* * *

  

Breathing hard, Lami counted to twenty and tried not to pass out.  The pills that her father had once taught her to make were slowly becoming less potent.  Already she had been using them for two years to try and slow down the Amber Lead retaking her body; either she could find her brother, find some way their father may have missed to help expand the potency of the pills, or she would be dead by the end of the following year.  Only one of those options particularly appealed to Lami, but she was in the _East_ Blue, not the North or even the Grand Line.  Her chances of finding her brother were slim at best.

 

If she still believed in Sister Molly’s God, she might have prayed.

 

Donquixote Doflamingo had beaten that belief out of her eleven years ago, though, when he had burnt her whole world down around her ears.

 

* * *

 

_When Cora awoke late that afternoon, he was surprised to find Lami sitting across from him with a pestle and mortar, frowning down at a page full of notes.  She looked up at him immediately, and gave him a bright smile._

_“I’m glad to see you’re awake!  I was worried for a little bit!”  Putting the equipment on the desk next to the notebook, she asked him how he was feeling._

_Cora shrugged his shoulders, and she frowned at him.  “Mou, none of that!  I don’t really know why you’re pretending to your brother that you can’t talk, but I won’t tell him, I promise.  He’s a butthead,” the last bit was added with something like a pout._

_Cora blinked at her twice, before asking quietly, “How did you know?”_

_Her golden-brown eyes took on a hard light.  “If I had a big brother who didn’t even care that I was unconscious and had a scalpel through my hand, and probably had a concussion, then I wouldn’t want to talk to him either.  Besides, I gave you a thorough inspection yesterday, and I didn’t see anything wrong with you then.”  Glancing up at the clock, she asked, “Do you want to come for a walk?  I have to make sure that Nii-sama goes for his break, otherwise he might get sick – let’s all have tea together, ok?”_

_Once he had gotten out of bed and found his feet, Lami took his hand and led him to the door, pausing just before she turned the handle._

_“By the way… Why was your brother so interested in the Ope Ope no Mi?”_

_“It’s a powerful fruit – perhaps the most powerful in the world.  Anyone would be curious about it.”_

_Lami gave him a hard stare again, before opening the door and leading him out.  “Today, the lunchroom has onigiri and paste-buns, and soup and bread.  Nii-sama and I don’t like bread though, so you can have ours if you want – you’re not allergic to anything?”_

_“Not that I know of.”_

_“That’s good then – I’m allergic to shellfish, and it makes me really sick if I eat any of it!  Fish can make me queasy sometimes, too.  Ah, here we go!  Nii-sama should be almost finished with his surgery by now!”  She gave two perfunctory knocks to the theatre door, and received a_ Just a minute! _from inside._

_The silence is companionable as they wait.  When Law comes out a few minutes later, he looks tired and a bit bedraggled, blinking up at Corazon._

_“Cora-san?  What are you doing here?”_

_“He had an accident, and I kept him for observation.  Niisama, have you had any breaks yet?” His little sister demanded, voice piping._

_Her brother’s wince is answer enough.  With a huff, the small girl grabbed him by the hand and Corazon by the other, and walked them both towards the cafeteria.  “Come on!  Let’s get some food in to both of you.  Niisama, was your operation successful?”_

_Smiling indulgently at the little girl, Law nodded.  “I expect they’ll make a full recovery, Lami.  Corazon-san, what was your accident?”_

_“He hurt his hand,” Lami says, voice fierce.  “He tripped and put a scalpel through it, and his big brother was_ terrible _, Niisama, he didn’t want to let me treat Cora-san!”_

_Resigned, Law asked, “So you kept him here by yourself?  Oh, Lami!”_

_“I’m going to be your assistant some day!” She sniffed.  “A doctor never allows an injured person to leave until their injuries have been treated!”_

_Law sighed at her, but ruffled her hair and gave her a smile all the same.  He couldn’t lie – he was proud of his baby sister, and always would be, stubbornness and all._

 

* * *

 

 

There was a fluttering at the edges of her sight – Leif’s moths.

 

“What do you want?”  Lami whispered, licking dry lips.  The moths fluttered up and around, darting in towards her and then flitting back again. 

 

“You want me to follow you?” 

 

They zipped up and down. 

 

Cursing, Lami clambered to her feet, leaning heavily against the tree she had been resting against, panting.  “Ok.  Ok, you’ve got my attention.  Let’s go.”

 

The moths flitter back towards the town, and with every step Lami wrests control back over her body until the casual onlooker could not discern her discomfort or pain.  The emotionless mask is an easy enough thing to keep in place, when her limbs aren’t shaking and the pain isn’t lancing up and down her body.  It’s a good thing moths don’t quite get emotion, she supposes, else she might have to explain her condition to the little tailor, or even the other Scribes.

 

Leif’s friends did not take her through the town itself; instead of heading straight for the Scribes’ pre-agreed meeting place, they take her deeper into the collection of buildings towards the edges of town, all the way to the crumbled castle remains of the Templar order.  She steps softly here, watches for traps and listens with both her ears and her Haki, just in case.  She senses her three shipmates and one other person, tall and powerful, but nobody else. 

 

A trap?  Aaand she left her sword behind, of-fucking-course.

 

Breathing in deeply, Lami makes sure that all of the scalpels on her person are easy to reach and that her body is ready for a fight.  Better safe than sorry – Doffy taught her that, too.

 

Catlike she slinks through the castle ruins, eyes sharp and Haki sharper still.  The moths aren’t taking her in any particularly convoluted patterns, don’t try to have her scale anything or have her double-back past where the four humans are huddled together.  They take the most direct route to the old cellar door, and at the last moment Lami realises what that strange niggle in the back of her head had meant.

 

Drawing in a deep breath, coiling herself tightly and drawing two scalpels, Lami launches herself down through the door and leaves the moths skittering outside.  Landing in a crouch, Lami springs at the tall Komusō with her shoulder leading, charging it into the strange man’s gut and knocking him to the ground, his basket askew.

 

“What’s a priest doing with a Devil Fruit?” Lami asked sweetly, one scalpel tucked up underneath a half-concealed chin, and the other tap-tapping on his chest, knees planted in his ribs.  “And such a strong one as that?”

 

The other Scribes all squawk at her, in various states of outrage, but Lami ignores them. 

 

The priest quirks a small smirk, and in a tired sort of voice says, “People often turn to religion for recompense, Doctor.  Perhaps I was a pirate myself in my younger years, and perhaps I was just a curious child who ate what he shouldn’t have.  What interests me is how you knew?  I don’t think there is a soul on this whole island privy to that information.”

 

“Haki,” Lami sneered.  “What are you doing with this lot?”

 

“He’s hiding us, Doc!”  Leif scolded.  “The Marines on the other side of the island are the same ones we left back at Silk; Bou-san is helping us.”

 

“You weren’t coerced in to coming here?”  Lami demanded.

 

“Nah, Doc, it’s all good!  We were just worried about you.”

 

Lami refuses to let such a statement warm her.  These people were just a means to finding her brother, and beating Doflamingo.

 

She eases herself back off of the monk, watches him carefully before tucking her scalpels back away and offering a hand up.

 

“How on earth did you convince the Dockmaster to let you keep those, Olami-san?”  Bou-san admired.

 

“I am a doctor,” She answered primly.  “These are the tools of my trade.  How long are we to be tucked away down here?”   

 

“Just until Jane is gone, Doc.  Sorano – the weaver’s apprentice? – she said that Jane’s crew’d be gone with first tide tomorrow, so we’ll be right.”

 

Lami hummed an acknowledgement, and looked around at the cellar.  “Dinner is here tonight, I take it?”

 

“Y-yeah!”  Sabo jumped back in to the conversation.  “Lami, about earlier, I’m really, really sorry!  I’ll make dinner tonight, and I won’t ask again, promise!”

 

With such an earnest expression on his stupid face, how could Lami say no?

* * *

 

 

**Translations:**

**Bou-san – literally, Monk or Mr. Monk**

**O – a more-or-less outdated honorific placed in front of a woman’s name to denote affection and/or respect.**


End file.
